Major Connecticut Snow Storms 2011
January 11th and 12th:
Record breaking snowfall blanketed the state with totals highest over 30 inches. The forecast was supposed to be 12-16 inches statewide. Highest amounts were in Northern Fairfield County, Southern Litchfield County, and Northern New Haven County; which all received 18+ inches. Windham County and New London County got the least but still received about 10-14 inches. Where heavier bands set up the snow was falling at a rate of 4.5 inches per hour at times which is incredible, and yet almost unheard of. Most schools were closed 2 to 3 days. Where the highest amounts feel, the snow was likely to be at about your upper thighs to lower hips. This storm has set the record for the fastest falling amount of snow in a certain time period. The old record was 30 inches in 1888 within 24 hours. You will find that some towns right next to eachother have some drastically different amounts. For example: Oxford got 20 inches and Meriden got 29. North Haven got over 30 inches and East Haven and New Haven only got about 19 inches. This is not due to drifting because the winds were not overly strong and the snow was wet/heavy and not powdery. This is the effect of band placement where the storm dumped more loads in some places than others despite the fact that the areas might close to eachother. This storm dropped 30.5 inches in North Haven in about a 15 hour period which is an all time record. Here is the list of (some) highest totals by town:
North Haven: 30.5"
Wallingford: 26.5"
Meriden: 29"
Southington: 25.5"
Staffordville: 29"
Canaan: 28"
Chesire: 25.5"
Cornwall: 28"
Guilford: 24"
North Branford: 24"
East Hampton: 28"
Manchester: 27"
Newtown: 27"
Southbury: 28.5"
Woodbury: 28"
January 26th and 27th:
The night the storm was going to hit I checked the forecast for the last time before I went to sleep. 5-9 inches were what most forecasts were predicting. At my home in North Haven I woke up around 6am and opened the garage door getting ready to shovel. I was expecting less than a foot of snow or maybe even a half of a foot. The snow was passed my kneecaps where 18.5 inches fell that night. I go upstairs to tell my mother what we got and she thought I was joking her. This was another odd band placement storm. Schools again were closed for 2 days in places. North Haven got 18+ inches while Meriden (20 minutes away) received only 9 inches. The forecast was off by a whole 10+ inches in some parts of the state. Here are the highest amounts:
North Haven: 18.5"
New Canaan: 18"
Lisbon: 17.5"
West Norwalk: 17.5"
Milford: 15.5"
Branford: 15"
Middletown: 15"
Colchester: 14.5"
New Haven: 13.5"
Both of these record breaking storms happened in a 2 week period. What a season it was here in Connecticut. The groundhog was right: early spring because February was quiet in snow despite the Ice Storm in the middle of the month. We also had a day where the thermometer hit 65.5 degrees in North Haven. Just imagine if February and March were a repeat of January; Craziness.These storms will be remembered for the record snow and all the roof failures. An average winter season for the southern part of the state receives usually between 30-35 inches and northern hills around 50 inches. Places like North Haven have had no problem passing the 70+ inch mark. We have received anywhere from 69.5-78 inches of snow so far (range due to drifting in places).