Another episode of heavy, wet snow caused traffic problems in many parts of Connecticut Tuesday afternoon. But the storm left the state before the evening commute got underway.
Some 2 to 6 inches was expected by the end of the day, with the largest amount of snow falling along the I-91 corridor and to the east, FOX CT Meteorologist Joe Furey said Tuesday afternoon. Only an inch or two was expected in the western part of the state, he said.
The snow lightened considerably in Hartford by 2 p.m. and completely stopped by 3 p.m. At 3:15 p.m., the only place it was snowing was northeastern Connecticut.
Snow began falling as the sun was rising — by 6:45 a.m. in Waterbury and by 7:30 a.m. in Hartford. It started out light but by afternoon was falling heavily, causing poor driving conditions.
Those driving at lunchtime found themselves slowed by slippery roads and poor visibility. There were reports of rollovers, spinouts and closed roads around the state. State troopers in north central and eastern Connecticut responded to an estimated 15 spinouts and crashes, one sergeant said.
About 11 a.m., a car and train collided in Windsor. No injuries were reported; it wasn’t clear if weather was a factor.
In Vernon, about 12:30 p.m., a jackknifed tractor trailer on I-84 west caused police to close five lanes of traffic, the state Department of Transportation said in an alert. And about 1 p.m., a section of Route 15 north in Milford closed because of an overturned vehicle, the DOT said. Both crash scenes were cleared by 3 p.m.
“The pavement is extremely cold, so it doesn’t take much to make it very slippery,” Furey said. “So you’ve got to slow down.”
Although many schools were scheduled to be off Tuesday, some that had planned to be open have canceled classes. One of those school systems is Hartford’s, although school offices will remain open, spokesman David Medina said.
Hartford city officials announced that a parking ban went into effect at 8 a.m. and urged residents to park in school lots. Vehicles that get in the way of plows will be ticketed and towed, police Lt. Brian Foley warned.
The Hartford ban is scheduled to be lifted at 4 p.m.
The University of Connecticut canceled classes at its Storrs and Greater Hartford campuses starting at 2 p.m.
Temperatures are expected to warm up by the end of the week, with periods of rain Wednesday and more rain Friday.
But Furey has bad news for the winter weary: “Some of the coldest air we’ve seen all winter is coming in next week.”
By Christine Dempsey, Hartford Courant