Bridgeport broke two records Friday: 9 degrees set a record low, and 24 degrees is now the coldest high temperature on record for Feb. 28. Brutal cold continues into Saturday morning with temperatures ranging from minus-3 to plus-7 around sunrise. The rest of the weekend will feature a little uptick in temperature (still below average, though). On Saturday clouds will thicken up, becoming mostly cloudy with a high temperature around 30 degrees. Clouds will win out Sunday. While most of the day stays dry, a few rain or snow showers are possible with highs in the low to mid 30s. Our next storm arrives Sunday night. Steady snow will pick up around the time of the Monday morning commute before ending late day.
Details For Monday
This isn’t a setup that would likely bring a big storm. An arctic front comes through Sunday, stalling just south of Connecticut with several waves of low pressure riding along it. With arctic air in place just in time for the first wave of low pressure, we are anticipating all snow with this event. There will be a tight temperature and moisture gradient around to our south creating a battle zone and a sweet spot where the heaviest snow will fall. In this area I expect a band of 6 inches-12 inches. Outside of that band, less. As of Friday night, the latest data keeps the heaviest snow just south of New England with 3 inches-7 inches for most of the state with the higher end of that range in southern Connecticut and the lowest amounts toward the Connecticut-Massachusetts border. So will that trend continue? Or will the models flip flop to their original configuration over the weekend, putting Connecticut back in the higher amounts? A shift in the stationary front by 50 miles north would double accumulations. A 50 mile shift south could cut accumulations in half. The track is that critical. With all the uncertainty at this time we are waiting for a little more consistency before issuing a final forecast.
Extended Forecast
Today: Cold start with temperatures in the single digits to around zero. Increasing clouds, becoming mostly cloudy. High temperatures around the 30 degree mark.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy with the chance for a few light snow or rain showers. High temperatures in the lower to middle 30s. Steady snow developing overnight.
Monday: Snow, lasting through mid to late afternoon. High temperatures in the lower to middle 20s.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, breezy and cold. High temperatures in the middle 20s.
Wednesday: Cold despite plenty of sunshine. High temperatures in the middle 20s. A warmup is expected late week.