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Winter Storm Settles In On Darien

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Stamford and the rest of southern Fairfield County dealt with the first taste of winter Wednesday, a little less than a month before the official start of winter, as rain occasionally turned to wet snow during the afternoon.

Carlton Spencer, store manager at Karp's Harware in Stamford, said there was less of a rush for supplies as a winter storm settled in the area with the exception of ice melt. He said there was a big demand for that.

Carlton Spencer, store manager at Karp's Harware in Stamford, said there was less of a rush for supplies as a winter storm settled in the area with the exception of ice melt. He said there was a big demand for that.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern

A slushy mix of rain, sleet and snow fell throughout the cold day, making for miserable weather on the day before Thanksgiving. Little snow accumulated in the southern part of the county, a couple of inches fell in the northern reaches. 

But the storm came up short on earlier predictions of snow totals of 4 to 10 inches. A store manager at a Stamford hardware store noticed and said he was surprised that there wasn't a greater run on cold weather supplies by customers.

"We didn't get the big rush that we usually get," Carlton Spencer said Wednesday. "I think it's because there isn't as much snow predicted for the coastline."

Spencer is the store manager at Karp's Hardware at 485 Hope St. 

Although there wasn't a big influx of customers looking for items such as shovels, Spencer said there was a large demand for ice melt as customers were expecting freezing conditions and slippery walkways and driveways as darkness loomed.

And on what is considered the busiest travel day of the year, few out-of-the-ordinary problems were reported on the streets and highways through southern Fairfield County beyond the slushy conditions. 

Many holiday travelers seem to have heeded the advice of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who warned people to delay trips until Thursday. He also allowed state employees to leave early on Wednesday and said nonessential second shift state workers could stay home.

While lower Fairfield County, especially right along the shoreline, saw nearly all rain during the day, more snow was recorded north of the Merritt Parkway. Snow was falling in the Danbury-Ridgefield-Redding area by 9 a.m. and began to accumulate on the ground, sidewalks and roadways. 

The snow, which turned to rain even in the hills and northern parts of the county, was expected to end by midnight.  

Despite warnings that snow totals could reach 4 to 8 inches across Fairfield County, the total accumulation was much less. Here are totals from late afternoon from the National Weather Service:

  • Sherman: 6 inches
  • Bethel: 4.4 inches
  • Danbury: 3.2 inches
  • Brookfield: 3.2 inches
  • Fairfield: 1.2 inches 
  • Bridgeport: 0.2 inches

Temperatures were expected to drop below freezing overnight with the snow ending around 1 a.m. Winds will be 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Another inch of snowfall was possible. 

There will be a slight chance of snow showers mixed with rain on Thanksgiving Day. The weather will be cloudy, with a high near 39 degrees on the holiday.

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