Warning, Bethany, Woodbridge: 'Potentially Historic Winter Storm' Approaches

Woodbridge could get anywhere from 14 to 26 inches of snow from Monday afternoon through midnight on Tuesday/Wednesday from a “potentially historic winter storm,” according to the National Weather service, which has issued a “Blizzard Watch” for metropolitan New York and southern Connecticut.

For Bethany, the weather service is predicting about 14 to 23 inches of snow.

“Potentially historic winter storm to impact the area from late Monday into Tuesday,” the weather service says at the top of its Blizzard Watch statement (as of 9:53 a.m., Sunday).

“Extremely dangerous travel due to heavy snowfall and strong winds, with whiteout conditions likely,” the Blizzard Watch statement reads. “Secondary and tertiary roads may become impassable. Strong winds may down power lines and tree limbs.”

The strongest winds will occur overnight Monday into Tuesday, according to the weather service. Winds of 20 to 30 mph could gust to 50 mph in places, although the specific forecasts for Woodbridge and Bethany (see below) is for lighter winds than that.

Buy those milk, bread and egg staples well beforehand. Check to see that your prescriptions won’t run out for the next several days. If you have your own generator, is your fuel low? Have enough batteries? Are your flashlights working? (We’ve got two videos with advice for winter driving at the bottom of this article.)

_______________________________________

See also:

• 19 Power Outage Tips for Winter
• Safety Tips to Survive a Blizzard

To sign up for the Bethwood Patch newsletter, breaking news alerts and more, click here.

_______________________________________

Woodbridge forecast

Here’s the Woodbridge-specific forecast (for Bethany, see below) from the National Weather Service (as of 11:53 a.m., get hourly updates here):

• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. Wind chill values between 30 and 35. Northwest wind 9 to 13 mph.
• Sunday night: A slight chance of snow after midnight. Increasing clouds, with a low around 13. Wind chill values between 5 and 10. North wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
• Monday: A chance of snow before noon, then snow likely with areas of blowing snow after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 24. Wind chill values between zero and 10. Northeast wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
• Monday night: Snow with areas of blowing snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 23. Wind chill values between 5 and 10. Blustery, with a north wind 18 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches possible.
• Tuesday: Snow with areas of blowing snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 25. Blustery, with a north wind 21 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible.
• Tuesday night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.
• Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 25.

Bethany forecast

Here’s the Bethany-specific forecast from the weather service (as of 11:53 a.m., get hourly updates here):

• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 35. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Northwest wind 9 to 13 mph.
• Sunday night: A slight chance of snow after midnight. Increasing clouds, with a low around 12. Wind chill values between 5 and 10. North wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
• Monday: Snow likely, mainly after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 23. Wind chill values between zero and 10. Northeast wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
• Monday night: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 21. Wind chill values between 5 and 10. Blustery, with a north wind 17 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches possible.
• Tuesday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 24. Blustery, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible.
• Tuesday night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.
• Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 24.