March 13 Is an Unforgettable Day in Southwestern Connecticut Weather History

Three of the most unforgettable weather events in recent history in southwestern Connecticut happened on this date. Two powerful storms and an all-time record high temperature for the season occurred on March 13, highlighting the unpredictability of the weather this time of the year. If you're of a certain age, I'm sure you remember all three weather "events."

As hard as it may seem to believe, the temperature climbed to an incredible 84 degrees at Sikorsky Memorial Airport on March 13, 1990. That established a record high for the date, month, and the Winter season. The normal high temperature for this date is only 45 degrees and the normal low is a chilly 31.

During March, a battle rages between the Spring and Winter seasons, and that makes predicting the temperatures during this month as difficult as any time during the year. The amount of daylight continues to grow each day, and the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring, is a week away. But, Old Man Winter has no intentions of packing his bags just yet.

I distinctly remember watching and feeling the temperature climb that day due to a strong westerly wind. The wind direction was extremely important, since the flow didn't come from the cooler waters on Long Island Sound. I was the evening weather anchor at News 12 Connecticut 36 years ago, and our "weather video" showed people flocking to a local beach to soak up the sun and warm temperatures. I'll never forget that day.

Then, just three years later, Saturday, March 13, 1993, the famed Storm of the Century pounded the Eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine. Locally, more than foot of snow fell across southwestern Connecticut, winds gusted higher than 40 miles an hour, and wind chills hovered at or close to zero throughout the day. It was the second snowiest day on record for March, and it will always be remembered because it affected such a large area.

Very heavy snow accumulated in the south. Birmingham, Alabama, picked up one foot of snow. Snow covered the ground from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle. The heavy snow spread northward along the East Coast to Maine. On Saturday, March 13, every airport in the Eastern states was closed. Snowfall ranged up to four feet on Mount Mitchell, North Carolina. Atlanta, Georgia, picked up three inches. Chattanooga, Tennessee, received 21 inches. During the peak of the storm, about 30 percent of the entire country was hit by the rough weather.

Very warm, humid air moved across central Florida and, combined with the energy of the storm, helped spawn the 27 tornadoes. Winds were clocked at 99 mph on an oil platform off the Louisiana coast. Overall the storm took 285 lives, mostly because of tornadoes. The storm became the costliest nontropical storm in Florida's history. States of emergency were declared throughout the eastern portion of the country. 

I was called in for storm coverage that Saturday morning, and we remained on the air for more than 12 hours. Aside from the heavy snow, what I remember most from that day was the rapidly falling barometer. The pressure dropped to 28.35 inches in parts of New England, which is usually only observed in hurricanes. They peak at almost the exact opposite time of the year. By comparison, the normal average barometer reading for southwestern Connecticut is 30.02 inches.

The storm was deepening and intensifying as it moved toward New England, and the howling winds didn't let up. In the wake of the storm, back-to-back record low temperatures of 16 and 12 degrees were established on March 14 and 15, respectively, at Sikorsky Airport.

Then, 16 years ago, a powerful Nor'easter hammered Connecticut and, specifically, Fairfield County. The damaging wind gusts of 60 to 65 miles an hour, flooding rains, massive power outages, impassable roads, and week-long school closings won't soon be forgotten. We received incredible videos and photos of the widespread destruction across southwestern Connecticut. The following photos were sent by News 12 Connecticut viewers.

Former Governor the late M. Jodi Rell announced that the storm caused more than $7 million in damage statewide, and she requested a visit from Federal Emergency Management Agency officials to assess the damage. The Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security estimated $2.8 million worth of damage in Fairfield County alone. Fairfield County qualified for federal disaster assistance.

Preliminary damage estimates in Norwalk totaled more than $335,000, and damage to private homes was even greater. Damage to public buildings and parks, and the cost of funding police, fire, and city employee overtime reached about $335,065, according to the city's director of finance. The scoreboard at Brien McMahon High School was the single most expensive piece of property destroyed in the storm. Its damage was estimated at $18,000.

Stamford officials estimate private property damage at $3.58 million. Damage to public property was estimated at $262,000, and total overtime for city crews at $143,086. Tens of thousands of people lost power, and three school systems were closed for a week. Heavy rain delivered up to one-half inch per hour during the afternoon of March 13. Here is a sampling of area rainfall totals for that day:

• New Canaan: 4.34"
• Easton: 4.33"
• Wilton: 4.01"
• Stratford: 3.33"
• Woodbridge: 3.12"
• Westport: 2.97"
• Milford: 2.91"

This is certainly a date which will be remembered for dramatic weather on three occasions over the last 36 years.

Paul

"Spring Ahead" to Daylight Saving Time This Sunday at 2 a.m.

Spring officially begins in 12 days. The Vernal Equinox happens Friday, March 20, at 10:46 a.m. That's when the Sun's direct rays are above the Equator, creating "equal day and equal night" over the face of the Earth.

Don't forget to "Spring ahead" to Daylight Saving Time this Sunday morning at 2 o'clock. Traditionally, the start of Daylight Saving Time was originally set on the first Sunday in April. However, former President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in August of that year. The Act changed the date for Daylight Saving Time.

Aside from the benefits of brighter evenings and commutes home from work, one of the biggest reasons we change our clocks to Daylight Saving Time is that it saves energy. Energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting our homes is directly connected to when we go to bed and when we get up. Bedtime for most of us is late evening through the year. That's when we turn off the lights and TV.

According to the energy commission, in the average home, 25 percent of all the electricity we use is for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening when families are home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, we can cut the amount of electricity we consume each day.

Studies done in the 1970s by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that we trim the entire country's electricity usage by about one percent each day with Daylight Saving Time. We also use less electricity because we are home fewer hours during the "longer" days of Spring and Summer. That's certainly welcome news for those of us living in southwestern Connecticut. If you're a parent like I am, you probably find yourself telling your children to turn off lights and any electrical devices they are not using.

Most people plan outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours. When we are not at home, we don't turn on the appliances and lights. A poll done by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated that Americans liked Daylight Saving Time because "there is more light in the evenings (and they) can do more in the evenings."

So you may be wondering if there are any drawbacks to the switch. For one, it will be darker in the morning. Unfortunately, it will stay darker longer in the morning, and many high school students will be waiting for the bus in the dark.

Another negative is that the earlier change to DST puts the United States out of sync with the rest of the world for longer than usual, almost certainly disrupting not just computers but the business and travel schedules of workers and travelers. Most internal clocks in computing devices were programmed for the old daylight-time calendar, which Congress set in 1986. And, don't forget, we lose an hour of much-needed sleep, too.

How do you feel about starting Daylight Saving Time nearly a month earlier? As far as energy savings are concerned, I'm all for it. However, I think it will give many of us a false sense of Spring. I prefer the start of DST on the first Sunday of April.

Paul

Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Northern Fairfield & New Haven Counties

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

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— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) March 3, 2026 at 6:42 AM

Paul

Second Snowiest February on Record at Bridgeport Punctuates Frigid & Snowy Month

Now that the month of February is in the rear-view mirror, it's time to take a look at just how snowy and cold the month actually was.

Nearly two feet (22.7") of snow fell at the Bridgeport climate station, making it the second snowiest February on record, trailing only the unforgettable February of 2013, which featured the 30-inch blizzard of February 8 & 9, 2013.

This year's blizzard of February 22 & 23 delivered exactly 20" of snow, including a 15" total Monday, February 23. That Winter storm tied the February 17 & 18, 2003, Presidents' Day storm for the second highest two-day total in the city's history. In fact, there were six days with measured snow and five days with a trace of snow for the month.

February was also brutally cold. The average monthly temperature was 28.7 degrees, which is 4.4 degrees colder-than-normal. 

Eighteen days featured a colder-than-normal average temperature, including five days with an average temperature at least 10 degrees below normal. The range was 48 degrees (February 28) and two degrees (February 8).

Twenty-five days produced a low temperature of 32 degrees or colder, and five days featured a high temperature of 32 degrees or colder.

Paul

Meteorological Spring and March Opened on a Snowy Note 11 Years Ago Today

A snowstorm socked southwestern Connecticut with an average of a half-foot of snow Sunday, March 1, 2015. Officially, five inches of snow fell at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, tying the record for the date. However, Weston (7.5"), Darien (7"), Stamford (6"), and Fairfield (6") received at least a half-foot of snow. Here is the official report from the National Weather Service.

The five inches at Bridgeport brought the 2014-2015 season total to 46.1" which is more than double the normal amount (22.4") through March 1. However, it still paled in comparison to the previous year's amount of 56.5" through the same date. It was also the 17th day out of 29 since February 1st with at least a trace of snow at Bridgeport.
                                

Paul

Blizzard of 2026 Delivers Heavy Snow & Damaging Winds to Southwestern Connecticut

Click here to listen to my summary of the Blizzard of 2026 as aired on WICC 600 AM, 95.9 FM, and 107.3 FM, from Monday evening, February 23, 2026.

The Blizzard of Sunday and Monday, February 22 and 23, 2026, delivered the most snow to southwestern Connecticut in 13 years. In fact, the Winter storm brought the season snowfall total to 54.6 inches and pushed the monthly total to 21.4 inches, making it the second snowiest February on record at the Bridgeport climate station. 

Bridgeport hit the jackpot in southwestern Connecticut with 20 inches of snow, just behind New Fairfield's 21 inches, as reported by the National Weather Service. The accompanying photos are from Samp Mortar Lake in the Lake Hills section of neighboring Fairfield.

The numbers were even more impressive in eastern Connecticut. North Stonington reported more than 30 inches, while Mystic (24"), Madison (22.1"), New London (21.5"), and Pawcatuck (20.5") eclipsed the 20-inch mark.

The wind was also an issue throughout the Winter storm. Peak wind gusts of 53 mph and 51 mph were reported at Bridgeport and Fairfield, respectively. Groton, in the southeastern part of Connecticut, clocked a 68 mph wind gust Monday at 7:19 a.m.

Here is a visible satellite view of the storm.

Paul