About 10 inches of snow had already fallen in Hartford by 6 a.m. Monday, with forecasters warning that some parts of the state could see up to 2 feet of accumulation before the storm ends.
Blizzard-like conditions are making travel extremely dangerous across Connecticut, with wind gusts exceeding 40 mph severely limiting visibility and creating near-whiteout conditions on roads throughout the region.
Gov. Ned Lamont is urging residents to stay home and avoid all non-essential travel. A blizzard warning is in effect until 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
As of 6 a.m. Monday, Eversource reported 6,641 outages — about 0.51% of its customers in Connecticut — with the utility warning that number is expected to climb as winds intensify.
The hardest-hit communities at that hour were Burlington, where 763 of 4,006 customers — or about 19% — had lost service, followed by Guilford at 909 outages out of 11,159 customers, or 8.15%, and Farmington with 606 outages out of 13,355 customers, or about 4.54%.
Eversource said customers who lose power should expect restoration to take between two and six days.
Lamont declared a state of emergency Sunday and signed an emergency order prohibiting all commercial vehicles — including tractor trailers, tankers, RVs and vehicles towing trailers — from traveling on limited access highways statewide. The ban took effect at 5 p.m. Sunday and continues until further notice.
Emergency response vehicles and those carrying essential supplies such as food, fuel and medical equipment are exempt.
On Monday morning, Lamont ordered all executive branch state office buildings closed to the public for the day. Level 1 employees — those previously designated as essential — were directed to report to work as scheduled, while Level 2 employees were directed not to report in person.
The order does not apply to the judicial or legislative branches of government, whose leadership makes independent decisions about their operations.
“This is an intense storm and it is expected to continue throughout Monday morning and into the afternoon before finally tapering off,” Lamont said. “I am urging everyone who does not need to be on the roads to avoid all unnecessary, non-essential travel and do their best to stay home and stay safe.”
The state’s Emergency Operations Center in Hartford was activated at 5 p.m. Sunday and remained fully staffed Monday morning with representatives from multiple state agencies. The state’s five regional emergency management offices are also activated.
Lamont also activated Connecticut’s Severe Cold Weather Protocol beginning noon Sunday through at least noon Tuesday, setting up a statewide network of shelters and warming centers for anyone in need. Anyone seeking shelter is urged to visit 211ct.org or call 2-1-1 for a list of available locations. Transportation can be provided if necessary.
In Hartford, Mayor Arunan Arulampalam opened warming centers beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday ahead of the storm. All Hartford Public Library branches are closed Monday.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation has more than 600 snowplows deployed statewide, with crews working around the clock to clear roads. Motorists who must travel are urged to slow down, increase following distance, give snowplows ample space and never attempt to pass a plow in an active plowing zone.
For real-time road conditions, visit CTroads.org. For emergency management updates, visit ct.gov/ctprepares.
