WEATHER UPDATE: Snow's 'Big Impact' on Tuesday Evening Commute in Bethany, Woodbridge

By Brian McCready (Patch Staff)

You might want to sneak out of work a little early today, probably by 4 p.m. just to be on the safe side.

And while you’re at it, you might want to call out in advance for Thursday, where more than six inches of snow is possible late Wednesday into Thursday afternoon.

Yes, more snow is forecast for tonight’s commute home from work, as snow is expected to begin falling around 4 p.m. and be relatively heavy in intensity, before it changes to ice late Tuesday, and then some light rain showers on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the entire state of Connecticut from 3 p.m. today until 10 a.m. Wednesday.

A total of 2 to 4 inches are expected, but what has prominent Connecticut meteorologists concerned is the icing that is going to occur, and could make Wednesday morning’s commute “treacherous,” writes WFSB 3 TV Meteorologist Scott Haney.

And the ride home from work tonight won’t be a walk in the park, either.

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NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Bob Maxon predicts snow begins tonight after 4 p.m. and it will have a “big impact on the evening commute.”

WTNH News 8 Meteorologist Gil Simmons writes that it will be a “very rough commute” home tonight, and “snow and dangerous freezing rain and sleet” will impact Wednesday morning’s commute.

Simmons predicts snow could begin falling by 4 p.m. in Western Connecticut and by 6 p.m. in Eastern Connecticut.

As for Thursday’s potential snowstorm?

“I may have to go into hiding if current guidance verifies Thursday. Models aggressive with moisture plume & cold air Thursday morning,” Simmons wrote on Facebook.

NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Brad Field wrote on Facebook “thinking late Wednesday night/Thursday snow could be substantial...still a bit too early to be more certain…”

Woodbridge Forecast, Bethany Forecast

Here’s the latest Woodbridge-specific forecast (as of 9:53 a.m.) from the National Weather Service:

• Tuesday: Snow likely, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 29. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of around an inch possible.
• Tuesday night: Snow, freezing rain, and sleet before midnight, then rain and sleet between midnight and 2am, then rain after 2am. Temperature rising to around 34 by 3am. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. South wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
• Wednesday: Rain, mainly before 9am. High near 41. Wind chill values between 30 and 35. West wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
• Wednesday night: Rain likely before 9pm, then snow and sleet between 9pm and midnight, then snow after midnight. Low around 23. North wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
• Thursday: Snow, mainly before noon. High near 25. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
• Thursday night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 5.

Here’s the latest Bethany-specific forecast (as of 10:50 a.m.) from the National Weather Service:

• Tuesday: Snow likely, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 29. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of around an inch possible.
• Tuesday night: Snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 1am, then rain and sleet between 1am and 2am, then rain, possibly mixed with freezing rain after 2am. Temperature rising to around 34 by 3am. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
• Wednesday: Rain, possibly mixed with freezing rain before 9am, then a chance of rain. High near 41. Wind chill values between 30 and 35. West wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Little or no ice accumulation expected.
• Wednesday night: Rain likely before 9pm, then snow and sleet between 9pm and midnight, then snow likely after midnight. Low around 22. Northwest wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
• Thursday: Snow likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 24. North wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
• Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 5.

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