Exceptionally Heavy Snowfall Rates’ in Ridgefield Thursday

Every Connecticut meteorologist in the state is on the same page Thursday morning. If you don’t need to travel between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. then please don’t. The state’s first major snowstorm of the w inter will drop a foot and possibly up to 18 inches or more in some locations before it begins to wind down Thursday evening.

Meteorologist Gil Simmons said this morning he’s upped his snow accumulation estimates to now include 12 to 18 inches of snow statewide and there could be some places that end up with 20 inches of snow. He said snowfall rates could be 1-3 inches per hour between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., which is the worst of it.

The heavy snow will lead to “very low visibility,” and winds will pick up along the way on Thursday. He said “conditions will be very difficult” today.

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NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan wrote on his blog, which you can read here, that the “super impressive quick hitting storm is going to result in exceptionally heavy snowfall rates over the next few hours. Lots of lightning and thunder will occur to - this storm is going to be exceptional. I'm using a lot of adjectives and superlatives for this storm because it deserves them,” Hanrahan wrote on his blog, which you can read here.

Hanrahan is predicting 10-18 inches for all of Connecticut and the storm winds down from west to east from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Near blizzard conditions are expected near the coast as winds will gust up to 40 mph.

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Updated information via the National Weather Service:

Southern Connecticut:

Snow will accumulate 10-14 inches and a Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 6 p.m. Traveling will be hazardous/dangerous, the weather service states and local power outages with downed tree and power lines are possible. Winds gusting between 30-35 mph. Visibility will be down to one quarter mile or less at times and temps fall into the 20s

Hartford and Tolland counties:

Snow accumulates 12 to 18 inches here and snow will fall heavily through the afternoon hours before ending toward evening.Traveling will be hazardous/dangerous due to the snow covered roads and poor visibilities, the weather service states. Intense snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour are possible at times, the weather service states. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until the evening.

And we could see more snow in Connecticut late Friday night and Saturday morning. No accumulation estimates made for that one as of yet, as all eyes are on today’s storm.

Image by Tim Jensen, Patch Staff