Blizzard-Like Snowstorm One Year Ago Produced Snowiest January on Record

A powerful storm exploded over southwestern Connecticut one year ago this morning, delivering heavy snow, gusty winds, thunder, and lightning. Nearly a foot-and-a-half of snow was reported in most communities in the area before the snow moved away by daybreak, January 26, 2011. Not surprisingly, it resulted in the snowiest January on record across southwestern Connecticut.

Officially, after that memorable storm, nearly three feet (34.8") of snow had fallen at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, breaking the previous January record of 26.2 inches set in 1965. The normal snowfall for the month is 8.5 inches. Two years ago, only 7.7 inches of snow fell in January. Take a look at this photo from viewer Margaret in Devon which was taken at 2 o'clock in the morning one year ago today.



Here are snowfall totals from Wednesday, January 26, 2011:

• Norwalk: 17.0"
• Darien: 15.5"
• Milford: 15.0"
• Fairfield: 15.0"
• Greenwich: 14.5"

Once again, my neighbor, Todd, who owns a snowplow, drove me to work. Without question, it was the worst ride to work in my 15-and-a-half years of doing morning weather at News 12 Connecticut. I have never seen I-95 as snow-covered and as dangerous as one year ago today. There were several tractor trailers jacknifed, and the backup was extensive on the Northbound side in Westport. The heavy, wet snow made driving extremely difficult.

I woke up to the sound of muffled thunder shortly after midnight, and when I went to look out the window, I saw nothing but white. The snow was falling heavily, and I knew the storm had intensified due to the gusty winds, thunder, and lightning. This was no ordinary snowstorm. Nearly a foot of snow had accumulated by midnight. When Todd arrived at my driveway at 2:20, I couldn't get the kitchen door open because the snow was piled so high. Just walking to his plow was a chore in itself. Here's another shot from Devon one year ago this morning.



Although there isn't any snow in the immediate or eight-day forecast, you'll need the umbrella later this afternoon. A storm system will bring rain for the evening commute, tonight, and tomorrow morning. Friday will be cloudy, windy, and much milder with rain tapering to showers by the afternoon. The weekend looks fair and colder. I'm glad this Winter isn't anything like last Winter.

Paul

Still No Comparison to Last Winter After Saturday Snowstorm

The first snowstorm of the Winter season brought over a half-foot of snow (6.2" at Sikorsky Memorial Airport) to much of southwestern Connecticut, but rain is expected this afternoon as temperatures climb into the low-to-mid 40s. The rain will gradually taper off late tonight, but readings will hold close to 40 degrees by daybreak.

The above photo of the Merritt Parkway in Norwalk was taken by viewer Ralph Fato of Norwalk during Saturday's storm. He reported 5.5" in Norwalk. The following two photos of the weekend Winter wonderland were take in Norwalk.

Thus far this month, we've received 7.4" of snow, which is just shy of the 8.5" normal for the entire month. However, last year at this time, we were buried under three feet of snow. The Winter weather actually started the day after Christmas, when a blizzard brought a foot of snow to Sikorsky Airport and up to a foot-and-a-half in many local communities.

However, last January was one for the ages. There was measured snow on 10 of the days, including a 15" snowstorm on January 12 and 15.5" from January 25 through January 27. Officially, three-and-a-half feet of snow (42") fell last January, bringing the five-week total to 54 inches. We haven't seen anything like that since the record Winter of 1995-96.

Interestingly, only 4.36" of snow fell last February, and the last measured snow of the Winter happened on February 27 with just a little more than a dusting across southwestern Connecticut. The jury is still out on this Winter, however, but there isn't any snow in the seven-day forecast. In fact, we may reach 50 degrees tomorrow, and the mercury will reach the upper 40s by the end of the week with more rain by Friday.

Paul

Weather Musings for mid January

The Vernal Equinox is exactly nine weeks from today. We are nearly one-third of the way through Winter. Major league pitchers and catchers report to Spring training in just over four weeks. Can Spring be far behind? Don't get too carried away, though. Although this morning is rather mild, it will turn blustery and much colder this afternoon, and some light snow is expected tomorrow night.

Ralph Fato took the following photos earlier this week from the Mianus River and Cove Park in Stamford. He wrote, "(There were) some cool formations at the river today. (It's) amazing with a mild winter that just a couple days below 30 degrees ice starts to become present. But, (this is) a far cry from how it looked last year this time."

If you're looking forward to Spring, the most optimistic sign in mid January is the increasing daylight. The Sun sets at 4:52 this afternoon, and by the end of the month Sunset will happen at 5:08. Compare that to one month ago when the Sun fell below the horizon at 4:23 prior to the Winter Solstice. We've gained nearly a half-hour of daylight in the late-afternoon since the first day of Winter. By February 10, the rate of increased daylight accelerates, and we gain about 2.5 minutes of Sun each day.

Climatologically, we've hit rock bottom as far as the normal average high and low temperatures are concerned. Based on 40 years of data, the average high and low temperatures for January 18 are 36 and 23 degrees, respectively. The numbers don't get lower than that. By the start of February, the averages begin building, and the average afternoon high temperature reaches 40 degrees by February 20.

Two other benchmarks of Winter are Groundhog Day, which is just two weeks away, and the season's official midpoint, February 4. Those of us counting the days until Spring are eagerly awaiting word from Punxatawney Phil or any of his "relatives" as to whether we'll have to endure six additional weeks of Winter. This Winter has been extremely quiet as far as snow is concerned. That certainly wasn't the case last year, though, when a whopping 60 inches of snow fell from late December through January.

Make sure to bring your coat and hat as you head out the door this morning. The mercury will fall from 50 degrees early this morning into the 30s this afternoon, and there will be a gusty wind out of the Northwest. Tonight will be mostly clear and much colder with lows of 12 to 20 degrees. Clouds increase tomorrow with flurries or light snow developing by evening, and it may make for a slippery commute Friday morning.

Paul

Wind Advisory Stirs Memories of Powerful Storm Six Years Ago This Weekend

An Artctic cold front will push through southwestern Connecticut today, creating strong wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles an hour. A Wind Advisory is in effect through midnight tonight, and power outages are likely once again. I can't help but think back to Tropical Storm Irene and the October Nor'easter and the sustained massive power outages which happened throughout Connecticut. However, six years ago this weekend, we experienced one of the most memorable storms in recent memory.

In fact, several storms brought heavy rain, accumulating snow, damaging winds, and dangerous icing to southwestern Connecticut over a six-day period which began on Saturday, January 14, 2006, and continued through the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The wild weather ride actually didn't end until nearly a week later. Ironically, the dates are exactly the same as this year.

I recorded the following entries in my weather log, which I chart daily. Although most days are rather mundane, I highlighted these three days for obvious reasons. The weekend included record-high temperatures, record rainfall, tropical storm force winds, bitter cold wind chills below zero, icy roadways, and three-and-a-half inches of snow.

Saturday, January 14, 2006 --- A powerful Winter storm came barreling into the Northeast, producing record heavy rainfall of 1.59 inches, which broke the old mark of 0.91 inches, established in 1958. Strong southerly winds ahead of a well-defined cold front (51 miles-an-hour wind gust) brought down trees and power lines, and mild temperatures (56 degrees at 7:53 am) began a 36-hour stretch of severe weather across southwestern Connecticut.



I took each of these photos of the damage in my neighborhood from the storms. The first two show a truck and a car which were destroyed by falling trees in 50+ mile-an-hour wind gusts from January 14.



Sunday, January 15, 2006 --- Continued strong wind gusts (48 miles-an-hour) out of the North behind the front delivered much colder air (32 degree high and 11 degree low), and 3.5 inches of snow, creating a nightmare for local residents as power outages, below zero wind chills, and icy roadways punctuated the day's weather. The damage from the wind was extensive, as evidenced by the many trees which came tumbling down.



Monday, January 16, 2006 --- Bitter cold wind chills greeted early-morning risers as temperatures hovered between zero and ten degrees at daybreak. The high (29 degrees) and low (10) were well below normal for mid-January. Although the wind began to relax somewhat, we still had a peak wind gust of 31 miles-an-hour. United Illuminuating crews were out in full force attempting to restore power to many residents who were braving the ice, wind, and extreme cold for several days.



Personally, what I remember most from that weekend was losing power Saturday night, January 14, while my son and I were watching the New England Patriots' playoff game at Denver. We awoke to frigid, snowy, and icy conditions the following morning. However, fortunately for us, we were one of only a handful of families in our neighborhood to have power restored late the following morning. The majority of homes in our neighborhood remained without power for several days.

Oh, and by the way, the Patriots are playing Denver tomorrow evening, exactly six years to the day from that brutal Saturday night. Hopefully, this weekend we don't lose power, and the Patriots win their divisional playoff game this time around.

Paul

Local Weather Photos

Paige Palmer of Fairfield took this photo along Fairfield Beach early this afternoon during the time of high tide. A Coastal Flood Advisory was in effect due to a persistent East wind and tides running about one-and-a-half to two feet above normal.

Hilkka Schulz of Stamford sent this photo of a "perfect landing" which occurred a few days ago at Holly Pond in Stamford.

What great photos!

Paul

Blizzard Hit Region One Year Ago Today

One year ago today we began digging out of the second major snowstorm to strike southwestern Connecticut in just over two weeks. Heavy snow began just before midnight, Tuesday, January 11, 2011, and continued through much of the early morning, Wednesday, January 12, delivering between a foot-and-a-half and two feet of snow to southwestern Connecticut.

Snowplows were already on the roads as early as one o'clock one year ago this morning to keep up with the heavy snow, which was falling at the rate of one-to-two inches per hour between two and six o'clock in the morning. It certainly was one of the most difficult commutes to work I've ever experienced.

For the second time in as many weeks, I asked my neighbor to drive me to work. He has a snowplow, and I feel much more relaxed when he is in the driver's seat. I didn't have to worry about shoveling my driveway and cleaning the snow off my car during the height of the storm in the middle of the night. Although the drive was somewhat harrowing, we kept a steady pace at about 25 to 30 miles an hour along Interstate 95 from Fairfield to Milford.



The photo above is from Patty, Erik, and Emily in Fairfield. As predicted, the storm was a 12-hour event, and the heaviest snow began to exit the region from West-to-East between 8 and 9 o'clock. Snow totals as of mid-morning were quite impressive. Here is a rundown of snow totals from many communities across southwestern Connecticut:

• Weston: 24.5"
• Redding: 24.1"
• Wilton: 18.7"
• New Canaan: 18.0"
• Darien: 17.5"
• Milford: 18.0"
• Westport: 17.4"
• Bridgeport: 16.0"
• Greenwich: 15.5"

Unofficially, up to 30 inches of snow were recorded for the season at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, well above normal for this time of the year. Last Winter was just as memorable as the Winter of 1995-96 when 78 inches of snow fell in southwestern Connecticut. More than 100 inches fell in Danbury and Hartford, and it remains the snowiest Winter on record. In fact, a significant snowstorm happened during the first week of January in 1996, much like last January's event.

Although we're experiencing another stormy day, the conditions are much different than they were one year ago today. Moderate rain and gusty winds will be with us this morning before the rain tapers to showers by midday. High temperatures will reach close to 50 degrees. However, much colder air arrives tomorrow courtesy of a gusty wind. There will be snow squalls around, but nothing quite like last year.

Paul