Possible 'Near Blizzard' Conditions Friday Into Saturday

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 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.

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.

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Brookfield Forecast

• Friday: Snow before 3 p.m., then snow and freezing rain. The freezing rain and snow could be heavy at times. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
• Friday Night: Snow, heavy at times. Low around 21. Blustery, with a north wind 18 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.
• Saturday: A chance of snow before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 28. Blustery. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

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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 Brookfield calls for clearing on Saturday with temperatures remaining in the 20s. Sunday will be mostly sunny with temps climbing into the 30s.

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.