NORWICH, Conn. — Rain began falling across New London County Thursday afternoon. The complex storm is expected to intensify overnight into Friday morning when temperature drops could create problematic black ice.
In Norwich, people scrambled to complete last-minute shopping before hunkering down for the night.
“I’m prioritizing. What’s more important? Food,” said Angelica Paradise, an overnight Backus Hospital worker. “Completely off the roads. Cleaning and cooking tomorrow. I’m doing all the shopping today.”
The Shetucket and other rivers flowing into the Thames will be flowing higher and faster.
Line workers and behind-the-scenes crews at Norwich Public Utilities are gearing up for a 24-hour event with rain and wind gusts picking up around midnight and temperature dips Friday morning. Spokesperson Chris Riley says wind gusts and rain could both be an issue.
“The ground hasn’t really frozen all that much so if the ground around trees becomes saturated, it can take a whole tree over onto our wires, which makes for a complicated, very dangerous restoration process,” he said.
Eversource is also sending crews into the region to respond quickly to communities it serves in New London County.
And every time complex weather rolls around, one safety tip can’t be overstated:
“If you see a downed wire, you have to assume it’s energized and a potentially lethal hazard. Get away from it—as far as you can and call 9-1-1 right away. Don’t mess with a downed wire,” Riley said.
Black ice is also a major concern.
“A flash freeze if you will. We want to keep people off the ice as much as you can because with black ice, you run the risk of having a car vs. pole situation,” Riley said.
The storm fell during one of the region’s most festive times.
“There’s been a lot of pub crawls and Santa crawls and such going on. I think people are excited about the holidays,” said Angela Adams, Executive Director of the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce. Adams isn’t convinced the elements will be enough to keep people off the roads Friday.
“I think people are going to make it happen anyway,” she said. “I have noticed an increase in the stores the past couple of days when people started talking about the storm."
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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