By Richard Kaufman
Although winter in Fairfield County has been mild up through mid-January, it would be wise to keep those snow shovels handy. Winter is coming.
According to Jacob Meisel, founder of swctweather.com and Bespoke Weather Services, a weather forecasting service for energy brokers and traders, it looks like February will be active. “The end of January into February looks to be quite cold, colder than average, and we could have a number of winter weather threats,” Meisel said.
Meisel said a similar phenomenon that took place last February occurred again this year, just earlier in the winter. A stratospheric warming event, which can make cold weather and winter storms more likely over a longer timeframe, occurred in February of 2018, resulting in an active March and April. This year, Meisel said, a similar event occurred around January 1, making February the month to look out for.
“I would not rule out an above-average winter for Greenwich, even though it’s been so quiet in the month of January,” Meisel said, noting that Greenwich usually sees an average of 25-30 inches of snow per winter. “Moving through February, the worst of the cold will be across the midwest, which opens potential for some of these storms to ride up the east coast. It’s still a wait and see, but the setup is looking good if you’re looking for some snow.”
Meisel said December was extra warm because of a weak to moderate El Niño. “In such a pattern, it’s quite common to have a warmer than normal December,” Meisel said.
No matter what happens, the town of Greenwich is ready to handle any storm, according to Department of Public Works Director, Amy Siebert.
“DPW Highway looks carefully at the forecast and the current environmental conditions to determine the best practices to be used, including pretreatment of roadways in advance of storms in the right conditions,” Siebert said.
The town is equipped with over two dozen heavy-duty plow trucks, which distribute either a salt-brine or salt before and during every storm to help break the bond and adherence of snow to blacktop. Usually, smaller trucks will distribute salt to the many school properties.
Roadways are divided into three categories: arterials, collectors and locals. Trucks usually begin on the arterials and branch off to the other areas. Overall, Greenwich encompasses 265 miles of roadway.
Siebert said residents should prepare for a storm by making sure vehicles are gassed up, snow tires are on and windshield wiper fluid is full. She also said that, during a storm, it’s important to address schedules and determine whether it’s safer to leave work and home early or late. Siebert said staying home, if possible, is a great option during a storm.
In the short term, Greenwich is preparing for this weekend, as winter weather could impact the area.
“The weather reports are very erratic and ranging from snow to rain to ice conditions,” said Greenwich DPW Superintendent of Highways, Joseph Roberto. “[The Highway Division] has made preparations for all eventualities and will be monitoring reports as they become available.”
According to Meisel, as of press time on Wednesday, Greenwich is set to experience mostly rain with bursts of snow at the beginning and end of the storm system this weekend. Late on Sunday, a cold front will move through, which could cause a flash freeze and black ice if there is any standing water.
