Warning, Darien: 'Potentially Historic Winter Storm' Approaches

Darien could get anywhere from 10 to 18 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 New England.

“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 forecast for Darien (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.)

For the region, 1 to 2 feet of snow is expected, and some places may get more (again, Darien may get somewhat less).

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See also:

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

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Here’s the Darien-specific forecast from the National Weather Service (as of 9:56 a.m., get hourly updates here):

• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
• Sunday night: A slight chance of snow after midnight. Increasing clouds, with a low around 17. Wind chill values between 5 and 10. Northeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
• Monday: Snow. High near 26. Wind chill values between 5 and 15. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
• Monday night: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 24. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Blustery, with a north wind 17 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches possible.
• Tuesday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 27. Blustery, with a north wind 20 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.
• Tuesday night: A chance of snow, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 26.
• Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 13.
• Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 32.
• Thursday night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 35.
• Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 15.
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 29.

Here are two safe-driving videos: The first, which is shorter, has the most important, basic advice from the Arizona Department of Transportation. The second, longer video, from snow.com, has a slew of tips for winter driving and shows how you can get out of a snow bank with a piece of equipment that nearly everybody keeps in the car: