CONNECTICUT, USA — Gov. Ned Lamont and other officials are asking residents to stay home Saturday as a winter storm bears down on Southern New England.
Lamont said he coordinated with Massachusetts and Rhode Island officials and a tractor-trailer ban will be in place on the state's highways by 3 a.m. Saturday.
"We're ready for what could really be a rough storm," Lamont said Friday during a preparedness news conference.
The storm is expected to dump around a foot of snow or higher across a good portion of the state Saturday.
New London County is currently under a blizzard warning while the rest of the state is facing a winter storm warning ahead of the storm.
The storm is expected to start around 11 p.m. Friday with the bulk of the storm hitting between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. where there could be an inch or three of snow falling an hour.
"Don't go on the roads," Lamont said. "Stay home tomorrow."
Gusty winds are expected as well which could cause some power outages and drifting snow.
"We've been in contact with all our neighboring states," said CT DOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti. "Metro-North will run a limited service tomorrow so please use CT Travel Smart to find out what's going on. We also know that Amtrak will suspend service as of their last train tonight and will not be operating tomorrow. The buses will also be shut down tomorrow."
Giulietti said that there will not be alternative transportation available Saturday, also urging residents to stay home if possible.
"I need people to be very diligent and stay off the roads," Giulietti emphasized, citing the dangers for road crews who will be out on the state's roads treating surfaces and clearing them of snow.
After the storm blows through Connecticut, the state will be left with a bone-chilling wind chill of below zero degrees.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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