WEATHER UPDATE: 'Near Blizzard Conditions' to Hit Monroe

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory that is in effect from 1 p.m. this afternoon until 1 p.m. Sunday, and during that period of time “near blizzard conditions” are forecast for late tonight and early Sunday.

The advisory is for snow of course, but the biggest concern are winds that could gust to up to 55 m.p.h. Snow is expected to accumulate between 3-5 inches before the storm ends by midday Sunday.

Light snow is forecast to begin this afternoon with the heaviest occurring late tonight through Sunday morning. The winds will be at its strongest during the same time period and sustained winds will be 25-35 m.p.h. A wind advisory is also in effect on Sunday.

There will be considerable blowing and drifting snow with whiteout conditions at time, the National Weather Service predicts. Travel could be dangerous after midnight, the weather service says.

Valentine’s Day dinner plans

NBC Connecticut Darren Sweeney writes on Facebook that snow will develop between noon and 2 p.m. But Sweeney writes that the snow will remain fairly light through this evening with just 2 inches of accumulation by midnight. And he estimates an inch or less of accumulation by dinner time.

So if you have dinner plans, be careful when driving, but it doesn’t look like you need to cancel your plans.

“Toward morning, snow could become moderate to heavy at times, Sweeney writes. “The bottom line: we won’t see major snow accumulations from this storm, but the wind and light fluffy snow combined will create the biggest issues through Sunday afternoon.”

Here is the National Weather Service’s hyperlocal forecast for Monroe.

Today, Snow likely, mainly after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 26. Wind chill values between 5 and 15. South wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Tonight Snow. Low around 14. Wind chill values between -5 and 5. Windy, with a south wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west 21 to 31 mph. Winds could gust as high as 43 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Sunday Snow, mainly before 10am. High near 15. Wind chill values between -5 and -10. Windy, with a northwest wind 32 to 39 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around -6. Wind chill values between -15 and -25. Windy, with a northwest wind 23 to 28 mph decreasing to 17 to 22 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 39 mph.

Image from Accuweather.com