WEATHER UPDATE: Snow and Ice to Hit Berlin This Weekend

As we bask in the glow of breaking a record dating back to 1966 for record cold on today’s date for Connecticut, our attention turns to a snow, sleet, freezing rain, and depending on where you live, plain rain storm that will impact us mid-to-late afternoon on Saturday and ending by midday on Sunday.

If you’re curious about the record, a 1 degree temperature was recorded at Bridgeport at 6 a.m. Friday, which beat the previous record low of 2 degrees set in 1966.

Now back to the snow and mix threat.

On Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 until 1 p.m., Feb. 22.

WFSB 3 Meteorologist Scott Haney predicts 2 to 6 inches of snow to accumulate statewide with the highest totals coming north and west of Hartford.

Another major snowstorm is possible for midweek next week, Haney cautions.

NBC Connecticut meteorologists are predicting 2 to 4 inches of snow, sleet, and freezing rain to accumulate from this latest storm, and they too caution a major storm is possible for midweek.

WTNH News 8’s Meteorologist Gil Simmons is predicting light snow to begin between 4 and 7 p.m. on Saturday and it will change to ice overnight and possibly some plain rain for parts of the Connecticut shoreline.

NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Darren Sweeney wrote on Facebook:

“Good news to the forecast I posted earlier in the week. The midday data is starting to come in line for the weekend.

“Earlier data suggested a slug of moisture in the form of rain, which seemed unlikely given our very cold pattern well entrenched, but the data was consistent. Finally, the data looks more like it should, with LESS RAIN and MORE SNOW.

“Yes, more snow is good news. No one needs the rain to soak into the snowpack on rooftops, garages, etc.

“It looks to start late afternoon and wind down on Sunday morning. Not overly heavy and not a blockbuster snow. Several inches are possible. Start time: late afternoon Saturday, wrapping up Midday Sunday. It does appear some mixing will take place, but as for liquid reaching the ground, questionable.

“This is not good news for towns struggling to keep snowbanks from blocking intersections, etc. It is good news for those of us who have snow building up on low pitched roofs.”

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And this is what the National Weather Service is predicting specifically for Berlin:

• Tonight: Clear, with a low around -5. West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening.
  

• Saturday: Snow, mainly after 4pm. High near 30. Wind chill values as low as -11. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

• Saturday Night: Snow and freezing rain, mainly before 4am. Temperature rising to around 36 by 4am. South wind 6 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
  

• Sunday: A chance of snow and freezing rain before 11am, then a slight chance of rain between 11am and 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
  

• Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. Northwest wind 5 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
  

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