Community Corner

Schools Closed as Towns Prepare for Blizzard

Durham and Middlefield are expected to get as much as 24-inches of snow from Friday's storm, which will begin this morning.

 

Schools are closed and a blizzard watch remains in effect for Durham and Middlefield as a powerful snowstorm makes its way to Connecticut.

The storm is forecast to arrive Friday morning and the heaviest snow will begin this afternoon, forecasters say.

Find out what's happening in Durham-Middlefieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A blizzard watch is issued when sustained winds or frequent gusts to 35 miles per hour or greater and considerable amounts of falling or blowing snow (reducing visibility to less than a quarter mile) are expected to prevail for a period of three hours or longer. A blizzard watch is issued 48 to 12 hours before an expected blizzard event. As the forecast solidifies, a blizzard watch will either be downgraded to a Winter Storm Warning for upgraded to a Blizzard Warning.

Mitch Gross, CL&P's spokesman said his utility has issued an "all hands on deck" alert to its workers, is holding meetings throughout the today with workers and expect to have "hundreds and hundreds" of workers on line and tree crews on duty to deal with outages that could occur this weekend.

Find out what's happening in Durham-Middlefieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Gross, however, cautioned that crews will not be able to restore power during the storm or when the winds are high because of the dangers that could create.

"Our line workers and tree workers will be out there as long as it's safe," he added.

But, he said, the utility is also urging its customers to be ready for the storm. CL&P has storm preparedness tips on its website, as does the American Red Cross. You can view a PDF of the Red Cross's storm tips, which are posted with this story.

The National Weather Service refers to winter storms as the "Deceptive Killers" because most deaths are indirectly related to the storm. Instead, people die in traffic accidents on icy roads and of hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold. Additionally, residents are reminded to properly use subliminal heating sources and that generators are installed correctly and properly ventilated.

It is important to be prepared for winter weather before it strikes. It is important that you take time  to prepare for this storm.

The latest computer models continue to forecast that a Major Winter Storm will impact our area Friday afternoon, Friday night and Saturday morning.   Heavy snow is expected overnight on Friday, into Saturday morning, ending early afternoon on Saturday.  Total snowfall is expected to range from 10 - 20" in Southern CT up to 16 - 26" in Northern CT.  Additionally, strong Northeast winds are also expected with sustained winds of 20 - 30 MPH Friday night gusting to 55 MPH inland and 70 MPH at times along the coast. 

These strong winds may bring down trees and power lines resulting in a moderate number of power outages.  Residents are asked to prepare for the possibility of extended power outages throughout our community.

Important Numbers

Emergency Calls including wires down call - 911

Report Power Outages - 800-286-2000

Non-emergency health, safety and welfare issues call Durham Storm Line - 860 343-6735

Residents are asked to check on Elderly and Disabled friends, neighbors and family before and after the storm.  Durham Emergency Management will continue to monitor this storm closely and updates will be provided as necessary.  Based on how Durham is affected and the extent of power outages throughout town, we will evaluate the need for opening warming and/or overnight.

Below are websites that you can refer to that will assist you in preparing for this winter storm:

http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/winter-storm


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