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More Harsh Weather In Store For Westport This Winter

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONN. -- Fairfield County residents will be enjoying warmer temperatures next week, but meteorologists say the frigid winter weather is not yet done.

Fairfield County residents are likely in store for more snow this winter, meteorologists say.

Fairfield County residents are likely in store for more snow this winter, meteorologists say.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue

More snow is expected to hit Saturday and again Monday night going into Tuesday morning, said Mark Pacquette, a long-range forecaster for Accuweather.com. There will then be sunshine and above average temperatures Tuesday through the weekend.

“The bad news is, it’s not going to last forever,” Pacquette said.

In late February, a cold front will come in, lowering temperatures through the beginning of March and possibly longer. Storms could come up the coast, possibly leading to more snow next month, Pacquette said.

“I expect that we will see more snow,” said Bill Jacquemin, president of the Connecticut Weather Center in Danbury. “Even though there could be a relaxation in the harsh winter weather, I do not think we can say spring is around the corner.”

The constant snowstorms make it feel like a harsher winter than usual, but snowfall totals for Connecticut are actually normal this year.

"No, it's not historic, not by any stretch of the imagination," said Gary Lessor, assistant to the director of meteorological studies and the Weather Center at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.

"It feels bad because it's been so long since we've had a true winter," he said. The last "true winter" for Connecticut came a generation ago.

For comparison, the worst winter on record for Connecticut came in 1995-96, when 75.7 inches of snow fell in Bridgeport and 115.2 inches fell at Bradley Airport, the official National Weather Service recording spots. This winter, Bridgeport has seen about 50 inches of snow, with a bit more to be added in from Thursday's storm.

“This year would be in the Top 10, but not in the Top 5 …yet,” Jacquemin said.

Winter is about 75 percent done, Lessor said. This winter has felt particularly harsh because it has been unrelenting between the snow and the cold. "We've gone from subzero to a snowstorm back to subzero. We have not had a break from winter."

Residents suffering from cabin fever should get out next week and enjoy the warm weather, Pacquette said. But he warned that the warmer temperatures will melt the snow, leading to lots of mud and potential flooding issues.

 

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