Recap 3-8-08 Storm

The maximum rain area occured across Southeastern Connecticut. Norwich had 4.81" and New London had 4.73" of rain and New Haven had 2.10"! The strongest wind was recorded at Windsor Locks Middle School at 62 mph during the evening just around frontal passage. The was a severe thunderstorm warning for Litchfield as the front came through.
The Farmington river did not rise to the dangerous level of 16' as predicted by the NERFC. I think it peaked at around 12 feet. The Connecticut river has minor flooding in Middletown and Portland right now. Rte. 7 did close in New Milford due to the high waters of the Housatonic River. -Gil

Flood Concerns

Here is a link to the river forecasts.

I am expecting some areas to pick up 3" or more of rain East of I-91. This will cause sig. rises on Eastern Connecticut's Rivers. Even in Western Ct., 1.2" of rain will send the Housatonic in to flood especially in New Milford and Shelton. The Farmington River could have the most significant impact to homes ....especially in Simsbury.

The rain will come in two periods. Number one tonight with a break Saturday Morning and the second round (heavier) will occur Saturday Evening. Dry weather is expected Sunday with breezy and colder conditions. -Gil

3-6-08 Serious Flooding On The Way?

WOW..........Low pressure forecast to move up over Connecticut Friday Night and Saturday could be a serious problem for the local area. The GFS and NAM agree on many areas with 3" of rain coming down very quickly. With rivers currently at or just over flood stage, this is not good news. The tropical moisture with this system seems very impressive.

3-5-08 Wednesday

The Thunder verified! We also had a wind gust to 68mph in Voluntown! The Housatonic River flowed over its bank in New Milford. Rte. 7 was closed due to the water near the intersection of 202/67.
Temperatures reached well in to the 50s today!

Our next concern is a rapidly deepening system for late Friday and Saturday. This thing looks intense! 500 mb tries to go negative tilt and the QPF is quite heavy. 00z run shows very warm air and the tropical connection is impressive! It has been trending to a warmer looking system through the runs today. It should turn colder Sunday in a post system NW flow.

Watching Tuesday Night & Wednesday

A low pressure center is forecast to move over Middletown CT Tuesday Night & Wednesday Morning. The GFS has copious amounts of rain and the NAM has half as much. Temperatures look tricky with a cold front sneaking in our direction from Canada Tuesday. Warm air will be running North at the same time. I am a little concerned about the risk of freezing rain for areas near the Mass. line for a period of time Tuesday Night before the WAA takes over Wednesday AM with very heavy rain. Stability idicies also hint at thunder possible at night! We shall see!

Also...one more thing. The heavy rain and mild air will combine with deep snowpack to raise the flood potential in CT. I will be watching this closely!

Rain-Rain & Yes......More Rain!

Another warm "moisture rich" system is dominating Connecticut's weather again! Currently @ 1:30AM it is a balmy 51 degrees in New Haven with a steady Southerly wind. I am forecasting 1" to 1.5" of rain from this system. The only exception will be NW Connecticut with 0.6" to 1" in the forecast there. I hope your Sump Pump is ready!

I also think some areas will reach 60 degrees Monday Afternoon. A big difference from 5 years ago when I started @ WTNH and we had a Blizzard on our hands! Click here to read about that storm!

I do expect some chilly air to return midweek. I am also watching a clipper closely for Wednesday. It doesn't look like much now....but we know how this Winter delivers surprises!

-Gil

A Busy Day! Snow to Ice!

What a busy day! The snow arrived around 4PM in New HAven. I was setting up with Keith Porter to go live with the SkyMax Mobile Weather Lab when it started.

We did two live shots stationary at the Cine 4 theatre location next to I-91 in New Haven with success! We then packed up and drove up and down I-91 plus I-95 with live hits in the 5:30PM and 6PM! It worked very, very well!

The snow continued through the evening statewide. This is how Court St. looked when I ran home to change in to a suit! Steady snow and about 25 degrees!

Sleet started to mix in around 10PM from New Haven Southwest through lower Fairfield County. Many reports of 2" to 4" of snow around the state. AS of writing this......it is 30.9 degrees 11 stories up with freezing rain! Good Night!

Okay I'm still up and I'm now worried about heavy Icing In Litchfield County with low temps and High forecast QPF.

Good Night for real!