Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Fairfield & New Haven Counties for Two-to-Four Inches of Snow

A Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect for Fairfield and New Haven counties from Saturday at 10 p.m. until Sunday at 1 p.m. EST: forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.ph...

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— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) December 13, 2025 at 2:49 PM

Two-to-four inches of snow are expected across southwestern Connecticut through Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.

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— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) December 13, 2025 at 2:51 PM

Paul

Today Marks the Earliest Sunset of the Year

This evening's sunset in Fairfield is at 4:25:47 p.m. EST, marking the earliest sunset of the year. Why does the earliest sunset happen two weeks before the Winter Solstice? It’s because the Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical shape instead of a circle.

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— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) December 8, 2025 at 6:56 AM

Paul

Dreaming of a White Christmas

The Winter Solstice is two weeks away, and Christmas is just 18 days from now. Not surprisingly, many people have asked me about the odds of seeing a "White Christmas." Believe it or not, they're not as bad as one would think.

So, what are the chances of snow by Christmas? Here in southwestern Connecticut, weather records have been kept for a long time. Our climatology is based on record-keeping over a 40-year period. 

Based on history, shoreline communities such as Stamford, Darien, Stratford, and Milford have a 30% chance of seeing at least one inch of snow on the ground by December 25. There's a 10% chance of at least five inches of snow on the ground by then. However, we have a zero percent probability of having ten inches of snow or more on our front lawns by Christmas morning.

Inland, the odds are more favorable. People living north of the Merritt or Wilbur Cross parkways have a 57% chance of at least one inch of snow for Christmas. The odds are slightly lower than one-in-four (23%) for five inches of snow, and quite slim (3%) for at least ten inches of snow. However, residents in Wilton, Redding, Easton, and Woodbridge have a much better opportunity of seeing snow on the ground than their shoreline counterparts.

As far as the rest of New England is concerned, the chance of a white Christmas gets even better. Northern Connecticut and southern Massachusetts have about a 40 to 60% chance of at least one inch of snow; central New England's chances improve to 60 to 80 percent; and northern New England (80 to 100%) is virtually assured of having a White Christmas.

One of the more memorable snowstorms which occurred in late December was the Christmas Eve storm of 1966. We received more than a half-foot of snow (6.9"), making roads quite slippery and travel very difficult. I distinctly remember my family on our way to visit my grandmother in the snow, but my parents deciding the drive wasn't worth the risk. We turned around and headed for home, but the car slid several times on the snowy roadways.

You may recall the snowstorm which delivered more than nine inches of snow to southwestern Connecticut the weekend of December 19 and 20, 2009. The snow began late Saturday evening, and six inches had accumulated by midnight. The snow tapered off early Sunday morning, but not before another 3.2 inches caused headaches for holiday shoppers the last weekend before Christmas.

Another recent snow occurred on Christmas Day, 2002. Some light snow happened early that morning, but a steadier and heavier snow developed by later in the afternoon and evening. The snow totals were quite impressive locally. Darien received 10 inches of snow by the time the storm exited the following day. Redding (9.5"), New Canaan (9.2"), Norwalk (7.0"), Greenwich (7.0"), and Westport (6.5") each saw at least a half-foot of snow!

On the flip side, I'm sure you recall December of  2006. The afternoon high temperatures from December 23 to 26 reached 58, 52, 44, and 50 degrees respectively, much warmer than the 38-degree normal high. More than an inch of rain fell December 23 (1.15") and more than a quarter-inch (0.28") was recorded on Christmas Day. We were left dreaming of snow for quite some time.

Paul

December's Full Cold Moon Happens This Thursday

The Full Cold Moon happens this Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 6:14 p.m. EST. It's also known as the Long Night Moon because it rises during one of the longest nights of the year.

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— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) December 2, 2025 at 6:06 PM

Paul

Annual Precipitation More Than One Foot Below Normal at Bridgeport Climate Station

The Bridgeport climate station has recorded 27.19" of precipitation this year, which is more than one foot below normal (39.62") and well below last year's total (41.86") through Wednesday.

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— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) November 27, 2025 at 10:37 AM

Paul

Recalling the Thanksgiving Day Snowstorm 36 Years Ago

Thirty-six years later, the Thanksgiving Day snowstorm of November 23, 1989, still remains the snowiest November day on record in southwestern Connecticut. The storm, which began Wednesday evening, November 22, delivered more than a half-foot of snow in less than 24 hours, while creating havoc on area roadways and major airports in the Northeast. Officially, 6.6 inches of snow fell at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford.

The first Thanksgiving Day snowstorm in 51 years postponed traditional high school football rivalry games and even prevented Snoopy and Bugs Bunny from making it to the big parade in Manhattan. Snow fell from Virginia to New England, breaking records in Boston, New Jersey, and New York City. By the time it dwindled to a flurry late Thursday, November 23, the storm delivered 4.7 inches of snow to Central Park.

The unforgettable storm was the seventh measurable Thanksgiving Day snow recorded in New York City since the National Weather Service started keeping records more than 120 years earlier. The last white Thanksgiving in the city was in 1938, when 3.9 inches of snow fell. In Newark, nearly six inches of snow fell in less than 24 hours, breaking the Thanksgiving record of four inches set in 1938.

The New York City police department said there were about 1.8 million spectators and marchers at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. They described it as a light to medium turnout. Strong gusts in the early morning tore at the seams and patches of the giant Snoopy and Bugs Bunny helium balloons, puncturing Snoopy's nose and tearing a hole in his comrade's side, a Macy's parade official, said.

Boston experienced the heaviest Thanksgiving Day snow in 65 years, and in southern New England, three to eight inches were recorded. Long Island was the hardest hit, in particular Northport and Centerport, where five to seven inches fell. In Brooklyn and New Jersey, up to five inches were reported. There were no record lows in temperature, however.

What do I most remember about the snowstorm? I just began working as the evening weather anchor at News 12 Connecticut two months earlier, and the snow caught just about everybody by surprise. Although there was some snow in the forecast, I distinctly remember telling the viewers that it shouldn't amount to much, and travel shouldn't be adversely affected. Boy, was I ever wrong!

Paul