CONNECTICUT, USA — Freezing rain marched through the state Wednesday morning, bringing with it highway crashes, school delays, and the cancelation of classes.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the northern four counties, in addition to Fairfield, New Haven and Middlesex Counties. Rain and drizzle are moving in with temperatures near/below freezing for many inland locations.
Temperatures are expected to rise later Wednesday morning but the early morning hours saw an icy glaze cover many roads and highways.
David Ahearn of Waterbury said, “I usually leave work at 6:30. as I did today, and got about a half-a-mile from my house and skidded out about eight times and decided to turn around.”
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT) tweeted out their reasoning for the untreated roads. They said that due to the colder temperatures the previous day, combined with "windy conditions", they were unable to lay down hard salt or pre-treatment.
"This is the worst situation," CT DOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti said. "When you don't know when it's going to hit, and you don't know if it's going to come as rain or if it's going to turn around and turn into ice."
Carl Neptune
“I just got off work. I’m tired. I literally put my car on park actually. That’s how much traffic there was,” said Carl Neptune.
“I literally sat in Hartford on 84 not even getting into Hartford for close to an hour and 40 minutes,” said Brian Dickstein of South Windsor. “And once we finally started moving, you can see multiple car pileup, fire trucks, police cars, ambulance, that all the while we were sitting, ambulance cars were passing us and I felt bad, there was nowhere for them to go.”
Over a dozen crashes have been reported all morning from Hartford to Greenwich, causing highway closures and other delays.
One crash in Bridgeport closed Route 8 near exit 5. It's unknown at this time if there were any injuries.
A transit bus in West Hartford seemingly crashed into a yard on Fern Street.
AAA released tips Wednesday morning for driving in the ice and snow as Connecticut may face another round of winter weather on Friday:
1. Don’t continue at the same speed you would be traveling in clear, dry conditions
2. Don’t brake and turn at the same time
3. Don’t follow behind other vehicles as closely as you would when driving in clear, dry conditions
4. Don’t be rough with your steering, acceleration and braking.
5. Don’t hit the brakes if you start to skid
6. Don’t stop if you can avoid it.
They also recommended drivers prepare an emergency kit to keep in their car. The kit should include:
- Abrasive material (sand, salt, cat litter) or traction mats
- Snow shovel
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Window washer solvent
- Ice scraper with brush
- Jumper cables
- Extra warm clothing (gloves, hats, scarves), and blankets
- Warning devices (flares or triangles)
- Drinking water and non-perishable snacks for both human and pet passengers
- First-aid kit
- Basic toolkit (screwdrivers, pliers, adjustable wrench)
- Mobile phone pre-programmed with rescue apps and important phone numbers including family and emergency services and charger.
Over 80 school districts across the state implemented a two-hour delay or canceled classes altogether for Wednesday. Some districts, like Torrington, initially called for a two-hour delay for its elementary and middle school before canceling classes altogether as the icy glaze continued.
Following the freezing rain Wednesday, snow is expected for the state by Friday with 2" - 6" possible.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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