Snow, Record Cold, and Blustery Winds Offered Winter Feel Five Years Ago Today

As difficult as it may seem to believe, it snowed in Fairfield five years ago today, Saturday, May 9, 2020. In fact, snow fell several times throughout the day. Strong gusty winds produced afternoon wind chills in the 30s, giving a Winter feel to the Spring day. The trace of snow which was recorded at Sikorsky Memorial Airport also happened on the same date in 1977.

The official low temperature at Sikorsky Airport was 35 degrees at 5:52 a.m., which broke the previous record low of 37 degrees last established in 1977. The high temperature of 49 degrees at 2:50 p.m. was well below the 65-degree normal high temperature for the date and one degree above the record low maximum of 48 degrees established in 1966.

Paul

Rare May Snowstorm Affected Northeast 48 Years Ago Today

A "Winter" storm system brought snow and record-cold temperatures to much of New England on this date 48 years ago, May 9, 1977. 

In fact, at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, a trace of snow fell, and the temperature dropped to 37 degrees that morning, establishing a record low for this date. Other than a trace of snow which was reported May 27, 2010, it's the latest Spring day on which any snow has ever fallen in southwestern Connecticut.

The storm was quite shocking for this time of the year. Consider the normal high temperature for May 9 is 65 degrees, and the normal low temperature is 48. Snow in southwestern Connecticut is almost unheard of seven weeks after the Vernal Equinox. The coldest temperature ever recorded this month was 31 degrees on March 10, 1966.

According to the Naugatuck Daily News, "A Spring storm dumped several inches of snow on some parts of Berkshire County in Massachusetts. The area hardest hit by the storm was Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where police reported 10 inches of snow on the ground. Similar amounts were reported in parts of Vermont. Great Barrington police said there 'were about 100 trees down, wires are down, and we've got reports of accidents we can't get to.'"

Residents in the northwestern Connecticut rural communities of Goshen and Cornwall reported unofficial snow depths of up to five inches. The snow began to fall heavily in the Hartford area at the height of the commuter rush, slowing traffic considerably on most roads. The National Weather Service said a deepening area of low pressure over Connecticut produced a variety of weather conditions across Western Connecticut.

I consider myself a local weather history buff, but I honestly don't remember this storm. Special thanks to viewer Ralph Fato for recalling it and bringing it to my attention. It certainly had to be memorable for those who had to dig out of nearly a half-foot of snow in the northwestern corner of the state. I'm sure they were wearing their Winter coats, too, with the mercury plunging into the 30s.

Paul