Weather Service Calling For Possible 'Near Blizzard' Conditions Friday Into Saturday

I know, I know. We're all sick and tired of bad weather. But, here we go ...

Just days past the 35th anniversary of the historic Blizzard of '78, which dumped more than two feet of snow on Connecticut, another major winter storm is bearing down on us and current computer models indicate it could bring as much as a foot of snow to some areas.

The National Weather Service today says that the current track of the storm could bring "near blizzard' conditions to parts of the state by Friday night "with significant snowfall likely" across eastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island.

For Danbury, the National Weather Service said in its Hazardous Weather Outlook, "Snow will develop Thursday night with moderate accumulations by Friday morning. Snow will change to rain before changing back to snow Friday night. Significant snowfall and strong winds with near blizzard conditions are likely Friday night."

The National Weather Service forecast for Danbury is here.

The weather services says it is still watching the approaching system and is holding off on issuing any hazardous weather warnings until the track and size of the storm become more clear.

The impending snow is the result of two storms that are coming together, one from the Great Lakes region, the other from the Gulf Coast, as they approach the Northeast, according to Fox Meteorologist Rachel Frank. The Gulf system has a lot of moisture and the one from the Great Lakes is bringing little precipitation but plenty of cold air, Frank says.

A mix of rain and snow is expected to fall Thursday night, but the real event will begin on Friday when snow will spread across the state in the morning and will continue into Saturday morning. Some areas will see a few inches of snow, but the eastern part of the state could see as much as a foot of snow, the weather service is currently predicting.

The long range forecast for Danbury calls for clearing on Saturday with temperatures remaining in the high 20s. Sunday will be mostly sunny with temps climbing to about 36.

In 1978 a blizzard hit the state on Feb. 6 and the storm, which raged for about 24 hours, left as much as 30 inches of snow in some areas, forcing the closing of the state and paralyzing traffic for days.