More Snow Coming, Darien; School's Out, Other Closures

Update 4:19 p.m.:

The Darien Board of Selectmen will meet in Town Hall tonight, despite the snow, and hold a public hearing on the town budget, starting at 7 p.m. (You can find the agenda from this Web page.)

The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is cancelling road tests scheduled for before 10 a.m., Tuesday. The department issued this news release:

"Department of Motor Vehicles tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 4, will start road tests at 10 a.m. The delay is due to expected poor and slippery driving conditions.

"Anyone with a scheduled road test before 10 a.m. can call DMV to choose a new date. The numbers to call are 860-263-5700 if someone is within the Hartford area and toll-free 800-842-8222 for those outside the Hartford area.

"DMV is also attempting to contact customers with road test appointments to advise them of the schedule change."

 
Update 10:39 a.m.:

The YWCA of Darien/Norwalk follows the Darien Public Schools closures, so it's closed today. So is the Darien Nature Center.

Darien Library is open today (and has some online services you might want to check out if you don't want to be on the roads), and its customary "Movie for a Snowy Day" today is Planes.

Update 10:32 a.m.:

The Darien Community Association is closed for Monday due to the weather, and the Darien YMCA has cancelled youth programs until noon (at least) as the forecast says more snow is coming Tuesday and Wednesday.

It's not just the snow that you want to watch out for -- mind the ice today, tomorrow and into Wednesday. If you're walking or driving, you could slip.

The National Weather Service has issued a "Winter Weather Advisory" for the area in effect until 7 p.m. Monday. The advisory, for southwestern Connecticut, the lower Hudson Valley and northern New Jersey cautions people to watch out for ice as well as snow into Tuesday and Wednesday.

The weather service has also issued a "Winter Storm Watch" through Wednesday, Feb. 5., for the same area.

The Darien Y website has announced: "Holly Pond Nursery School and Kids Club are cancelled.  Youth lessons, programs and classes are cancelled until 12pm - at which time we will re-evaluate the status of the Y's afternoon youth lessons & programs.  All adult programs and fitness classes are on schedule."

Here's the Darien-specific forecast from the National Weather Service (as of 9:56 a.m.) for the next few days:

• Monday: Snow. High near 32. North wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. Total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
• Monday night: A chance of snow, mainly before 7 p.m. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 19. North wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 35. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
• Tuesday night: Snow, mainly after midnight. Low around 27. Calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 8 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
• Wednesday: Snow, freezing rain, and sleet before 2pm, then a slight chance of freezing rain between 2pm and 3pm, then a slight chance of snow after 3 p.m. High near 32. Northeast wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
• Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30.

Update 5:48 a.m., Monday:

Darien Public Schools are closed today, and commuters face a challenging trip as a mix of rain and snow is predicted to give way to snow.

"All Darien Public Schools are closed for Monday, Feb. 3," the Darien Public Schools website announced this morning. "All NESDEC focus groups scheduled for today are cancelled and will be rescheduled." (NESDEC is a group helping with a search for the next superintendent of schools.)

Here's the Darien-specific weather forecast from the National Weather Service (as of 4:56 a.m.):

• Monday: Snow, mainly before 5 p.m. High near 32. North wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. Total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.
• Monday night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 19. North wind 6 to 9 mph.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 35. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning.
• Tuesday night: Snow before 5 a.m., then snow and sleet. Low around 27. Calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 9 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New snow and sleet accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
• Wednesday: Freezing rain and sleet before 1pm, then a slight chance of freezing rain between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., then a slight chance of snow after 2pm. High near 32. Northeast wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
• Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30.
• Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 32.
• Friday night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
• Saturday: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
• Saturday night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
  
• Sunday: A chance of rain and snow. Cloudy, with a high near 37. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

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Update 7:51 p.m., Sunday:

By David Gurliacci

A "Winter Weather Advisory" has been declared by the National Weather Service for the New York metropolitan area, including southwestern Connecticut, for 5 a.m. through 7 p.m. Monday.

Three to five inches of snow may fall in the area, with more possible in some spots, according to the weather service.

Visibility could be down to half a mile from morning through the early afternoon, so the commute may be somewhat more challenging.

At least as important, watch out for the ice -- rain could fall early on, followed by snow in the morning.

Temperatures and wind aren't predicted to be too bad.

Here's the National Weather Service's Darien-specific forecast as of 6:56 p.m. Sunday:

• Sunday night: A chance of rain before 2 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow. Cloudy, with a low around 31. North wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
• Monday: Snow likely, possibly mixed with sleet before 9 a.m., then snow. High near 32. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New snow and sleet accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
• Monday night: A chance of snow, mainly before 7 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. North wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning.

3:06 p.m. Sunday

By Gary Jeanfaivre

Punxsutawney Phil predicted more winter Sunday and that's exactly what we'll see this week, beginning with snow on Monday.

The storm could bring anywhere between 3 inches and 7 inches along the coast, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), which issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook ahead of the storm.

The precipitation will start before dawn Monday in the form of rain, sleet and snow. By 4 a.m., it will likely just be snow coming down and it will stay that way till about 2 p.m., the NWS predicts.

Tuesday will bring mostly sunny skies, and then there's a chance for another wintry mix Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.