It’s been almost two weeks since Winter Storm Fern (or Benjamin) dropped a foot or more of snow here in southwest Connecticut. Most of it is still on the ground—pushed into ridges along streets, compacted on sidewalks, and piled in the corners of parking lots. That’s not normal for a storm that hit January 25th. Usually by now, a few days above freezing would have cleared most of it.
We haven’t had those days. Connecticut’s Severe Cold Weather Protocol has been active since January 23rd—the day before the storm—and Governor Lamont just extended it through at least February 10th. That’s the longest continuous activation since a 34-day stretch in early 2015. Overnight lows have been dipping into the single digits nearly every night, and daytime highs have barely flirted with the low 30s on the warmest days.
This weekend will be the worst of it.
The Forecast
An Alberta clipper is bringing a round of light snow Friday night into Saturday morning—a dusting to an inch or two for the shoreline, possibly more inland. That’s not the story.
The story is what comes behind it. The National Weather Service has issued both a Wind Advisory and an Extreme Cold Warning for our area, effective Saturday into Sunday. Here’s what that looks like for Milford:
- Saturday: Temperatures falling through the day, reaching about 11°F by evening. Northwest winds gusting to 43 mph. Wind chills between -10 and zero.
- Saturday night: Low around 2°F. Wind chills between -10 and -15. Gusts still in the 40s.
- Sunday: Sunny, but a high of only 18°F. Wind chills between -5 and -15.
- Sunday night: Low around 4°F.
The NWS warns that frostbite can occur on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes at these wind chills, and in as little as 10 minutes if they drop below -30—which parts of northern Connecticut may see.
Perspective
For context, the average high in Milford for early February is around 38°F. A high of 18 on Sunday is 20 degrees below normal. We’re not talking about a chilly weekend—this is legitimately dangerous cold.
Monday brings some relief, climbing back to the mid-20s, and by Tuesday we might see 32°F. But “above freezing for the first time in weeks” is a low bar.
The snow from Fern isn’t going anywhere this weekend. If anything, the fresh dusting will make it look new again—a thin white layer over two weeks of winter.
Just after the new year, I spent $61.57 on a pair of fleece-lined Lee jeans. I don’t know what I’d been living without all these years. I’ve been wearing them almost every day since this cold snap started, and they’re about to earn their keep again this weekend.
Stay warm.