WEATHER UPDATE: National Weather Service Makes Snow Accumulation Prediction for Bethany and Woodbridge

By Brian McCready (Patch Staff)

It looks like it really will be snowing on the first day of spring. The National Weather Service is predicting 2-3 inches of snow for the area.

The snow is forecast to begin to fall Friday afternoon right in time for the evening commute, and continue into early Saturday, and up to a few inches of heavy wet snow accumulation is possible.

The exact amount of accumulation is still very much up in the air but the National Weather Service offered its first prediction Wednesday on possible snowfall accumulation.

WFSB 3 TV Meteorologist Scot Haney writes that snow or a wintry mix will develop by Friday evening. He wrote two models show just very light snow or a wintry mix, but one model shows a “more robust storm.”

WTNH News 8 Meteorologist Gil Simmons wrote Wednesday morning that the wet snow will begin in the afternoon and evening hours on Friday and a few inches of accumulation is possible especially the closer to the shore you are.

Here’s the weather service’s Woodbridge-specific forecast (as of the 12:53 p.m. update; the very similar Bethany-specific forecast follows):

• Wednesday afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Northwest wind around 18 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph.
• Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 16. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 35. Wind chill values between 5 and 15. Northwest wind 8 to 14 mph.
• Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 19. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.
• Friday: Snow, mainly after 2pm. High near 34. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
• Friday night: Snow likely, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 44.
• Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 36.
• Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 17.
• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 37.
• Monday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41.

Here’s the weather service’s Bethany-specific forecast (as of the 12:50 p.m. update):

• Wednesday afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Northwest wind around 18 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph.
• Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 14. Wind chill values between 5 and 10. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 33. Wind chill values between 5 and 15. Northwest wind 8 to 14 mph.
• Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
• Friday: Snow, mainly after 2pm. High near 34. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
• Friday night: Snow likely, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 43.
• Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34.
• Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 16.
• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 36.
• Monday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 21.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40.