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WINTER STORM BENJAMIN…
Today, Winter Storm Benjamin is moving in, with the first flakes falling falling across southwest CT as of 7am, and once dry air is overcome the rest of CT will see snow coming down by 9/10 the latest. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for the entire state starting later this morning until Monday evening.
Snowfall will ramp up quickly, peaking between 2pm and 10pm, with snowfall rates up to 1-2″ per hour likely. This will cause roads to deteriorate quickly, and whiteout conditions are possible. As we see it now, this event is mostly snow – and will be light and fluffy, especially inland. We’re also expecting sleet to mix in along the shoreline from 6pm-11pm, resulting in slightly reduced snowfall accumulation there. There is some uncertainty as to how far north the sleet will go, and the duration of the sleet. Drier air moves in overnight Sunday into Monday, and we’ll see on-and-off snow showers/squalls through daybreak. A final burst of light snow is expected on Monday afternoon which could produce additional light accumulation. By the time it’s all done, expect 12-18″ for most of the state, with 8-12″ along the shoreline. Isolated totals of 19″ or 20″ cannot be ruled out. The bulk of the snow occurs before midnight and perhaps 2-4″ more on Monday.
NEXT WEEK…
We could see some partial clearing before sunset Monday as Winter Storm Benjamin pulls away… regardless, it will still be cold with highs in the lower half of the 20s. Thereafter, the cold stays locked in place, with highs in the mid-20s both Tuesday and Wednesday. With a clear sky and a calmer wind, we’re expected temperatures on Wednesday morning to fall into the 0-5 degree range! Thursday appears mostly cloudy with perhaps some isolated snow showers. Friday will be in the 20s again with a bit more sunshine.
THE FIFTH WEEKEND OF JANUARY…
The fifth (and final) weekend of January looks to start calm, but temperatures will remain well below average.
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The First Alert Weather Team
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DID YOU FEEL IT, HEAR IT?
At 5:36 pm Wednesday, January 7th, the seismometer at the East Haddam Historical Society Museum measured a small earthquake. According to the USGS, it was located 1 miles south of Moodus, 5.6 miles deep and measured 1.9 magnitude. These quakes/tremors lead to the commonly known “Moodus Noises” that historically occur near/around Moodus, hence the name.
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2025…
The numbers are in, and 2025 did not have big departures from average. The average temperature was 51.5°, 0.5° above normal. August, November and December were cooler than normal, but the rest of the year was warmer. Total precipitation (rain and the liquid equivalent of anything frozen) was a little below average with a total of 46.63″. This is only 0.42″ shy of average (the Hartford Area averages 47.05″). Snow for the calendar year was below average, too. Only 27.2″ fell, while average is 51.7″. There were *0* confirmed tornadoes in Connecticut, the first time since 2017.
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WINTER STORM ABRAHAM…
An area of low pressure moving just to our south brought the first significant snowfall of the season – and our first named storm of winter – to Connecticut. Snow began on the evening of Friday, December 26th and continued overnight through the morning of Saturday, December 27th before dissipating.
Bands of heavy snow brought observed snowfall rates of 1-3″ per hour at times Friday evening. Winter Storm Abraham produced over 6″ of snowfall in many areas. Some of the highest reports were across central and western CT: New Milford – 10.5″, New Preston – 9.9″, Meriden – 9.0″, Naugatuck – 8.5″, Higganum – 8.0″ & Bristol- 8.0″.
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DECEMBER 19 RECORD WARMTH, WIND AND RAIN…
A potent storm system moved through the Great Lakes on Friday, December 19. Ahead of the cold front, southerly winds across Connecticut gusted up to and over 60 miles per hour! Some notable gusts: 67 mph in Groton, 64 mph in Willimantic, 63 mph in Middletown, 60 mph in Berlin. Scattered power outages were reported across Connecticut. Also, about an inch of rain fell throughout Connecticut.
That strong southerly wind brought record warmth to Connecticut. For Bradley, where the Hartford Area records are kept, the temperature peaked at 58… beating the old record of 54 (set in 1949) by several degrees. In Bridgeport, the temperature climbed to 57, tying the record of 57 set in 1967.
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DECEMBER 5 RECORD COLD…
High pressure moved in behind an Arctic front on December 5. Low temperatures were in the single digits and teens. In Bridgeport, we set a new daily record low temperature of 15 just before sunrise – breaking the previous record from 1989 by two degrees. Climate records in Bridgeport date back to 1948. The Hartford Area fell to 5 degrees. The record is 3, set in 1976.
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DECEMBER 2 SNOW, ICY MIX AND RAIN…
On December 2, a coastal storm brought a mix of snow, freezing rain, sleet and rain to Connecticut. It began in the morning and wrapped up in the evening. Snow accumulated along and northwest of I-84, with the highest totals close to the Massachusetts border (5.0″ in Canaan, 4.0″ in Simsbury). It was also the first measurable snow at Bradley with 2.4″ recorded. The roads were quite slick with multiple spin-outs and crashes reported. This was a rain event for the shoreline from start to finish, dropping almost an inch of rain in SE CT.
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OCTOBER 30 & 31 WIND & RAIN…
On October 30, low pressure moved up the Appalachians, bringing a slug of rain to Connecticut. Rain ramped up in the afternoon and evening, ending after midnight on October 31. Some notable totals: 3.99″ in Hamden, 3.94″ in Waterbury, 3.26″ in Bristol. Southern and Central CT saw totals in the 2-4″ range, while the northern part of the state saw 1-2″ fall. Wind gusts picked up, too, with the highest gust of 52 mph occurring in Bridgeport (at BDR). Most towns saw gusts between 40 and 50 mph on both 10.30 and 10.31.
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OCTOBER 10th COLD WEATHER…
With dry air and a calm wind under a clear sky… the temperature dropped to 29 degrees at Bradley thus tying the record set back in 1989! This is also notable since the last time the temp (for the Hartford Area) was below 40 was back on May 12th, the last time it was lower than 35 was on April 21st! Bridgeport got down to 40, nowhere near the record of 33 set back in 1979.
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AUGUST ‘25 & METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER…
August 2025 finished with an average temperature of 69.6°, and impressive 2.9° below normal. This is also noteworthy as it is the first month since November ‘23 to finish below normal, ending a stretch of 21 consecutive months warmer than normal! A total of 2.45″ fell for the Hartford Area (as measured at Bradley International Airport), 1.76″ below normal.
Meteorological summer ran from 06.01 to 08.31, and it was pretty close to normal for the Hartford Area. The average temperature was 72.2°, just 0.3° above normal. During the season, 12.39″ of rain fell, only 0.27° below normal. In Bridgeport, however, it was quite dry… only 3.85″ of rain fell during the entire season! That makes it the driest summer on record (since 1948). Previously, the driest summer was in 1995 when 4.13″ of rain fell.
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AUGUST 20 RAIN & COOLNESS…
August 20th was a chilly, raw day in Connecticut. In fact, temperatures peaked at unseasonably cool levels, setting a new record for the Hartford Area (63 on 08.20 beat the previous coolest high of 70 from 1922). The record for Bridgeport was 70 set in 1990, which was tied. Rain fell heavily statewide, with totals over 3″ in parts of Litchfield and Fairfield counties.
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JULY 31 RAIN & JULY ‘25 RECAP…
An area of low pressure moved along a stalled-out front bringing rain, heavy at times, to Connecticut. Totals were in the 2-3″ range along and northwest of I-84, with lesser amounts into southern CT. Some notable totals include 3.26″ in Crystal Lake and 3.17″ in New Hartford.
With 2.58″ of rain measured at Bradley (where the Hartford Area records are kept), 7.81″ of rain fell during the month. This makes July 2025 the 8th wettest July on record (since 1905). The monthly average temperature was 76.3°, a full 2.0° above normal.
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LATE JULY HEAT & THE 3rd HEAT WAVE OF ’25…
The Hartford Area has achieved its 3rd heat wave of 2025, stretching from 07.28 through 07.30. The high temperatures were 91 on 07.28, 96 on 07.29 and 94 on 07.30.
With a high of 96 at Bradley Airport (where records are maintained for the Hartford Area) on Tuesday, 07.29, the 92 year old record from 1933 was tied. For Bridgeport, the record of 96 from 2002 was also tied on Tuesday, 07.29! Bridgeport also tied its record of 95 from 1949 on Wednesday, 07.30.
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HEAT & SEVERE STORMS FRIDAY, 07.25…
Temperatures soared into the 90s ahead of a cold front on Friday. When you factor in the high humidity, it felt more like the low 100s across much of the state! The high for the Hartford Area was 95. For Bridgeport, the high was 94, breaking the old record of 93 from 2001. A cold front moving into this hot, humid air mass led to strong and severe thunderstorms. There were multiple trees down across the state, especially through Litchfield and New Haven counties.
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2nd HEAT WAVE OF ‘25…
The temperature hit 90 at Bradley Airport Tuesday, July 15th, then 93 Wednesday, and 90 Thursday. With 3 consecutive days 90 or higher, we achieved our 2nd heat wave of ’25.
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WET WEEKEND STRETCH…
Connecticut’s 18-weekend streak of precipitation at Bradley International Airport (BDL) came to an end on the weekend of July 5/6. This remarkable stretch began on February 22/23, and was defined by at least a trace of precipitation falling on either a Saturday or a Sunday.
During this extended period, rain was the typical culprit, the wettest weekend day being Saturday, May 31 when 1.45” of rain fell. But it also included a late-season snow event on Saturday, April 12th when 1.5” of snow was recorded at Bradley; a notable contribution to the precipitation record.
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JULY 3rd SEVERE STORMS…
A cold front on Thursday, July 3rd sparked severe thunderstorms across Connecticut. Wind gusts were quite strong with a 49 mph gust measured at Bradley International Airport. Many towns reported downed trees, leading to power outages. In fact, over 27,500 people lost power! Unfortunately, a tree fell onto a car in Trumbull and injured one person. The storms also brought hail, particularly in parts of NW and NE CT. Hail covered roadways in Danielson. The largest was golfball size (1.75″ diameter) reported in Sterling, CT.
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1st HEAT WAVE OF ‘25…
We need 3 consecutive days 90 or higher to qualify for a heat wave, our 1st one of the year lasted 4 days. Sunday (06.22), at Bradley Airport the temp topped out at 92. Monday’s high of 98 set a record in the Hartford Area for June 23rd (prior record was 97 from 1965). Tuesday, the temp reached 90 in the 10a hour (making the heat wave official) then peaked at 99 which also was record-setting (previously 94 from 2013). Tuesday (06.24) also joined the ranks of hottest June days since 1905: 100 has been achieved twice (in 1952 and 1964), previously 99 was only achieved once (on the 29th in 2021, also the last time it was *this* hot!). Wednesday (06.25), the high of 95 tied the 1943 record.
For Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday… Bridgeport hit 93, 94, and 95 – respectively, all setting daily record highs. Wednesday, the high of 97 not only set a new record for June 25th, but also tied June 9th, 2008 for warmest June temperature since 1948!
On June 24th, the heat also broke records for “warmest low” temperature both in the Hartford Area (a 116 year old record) and in Bridgeport. For the 25th, records were again broken for “warmest low” at both locations.
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90° HEAT…
Thursday, 06.05, was our first 90° day of the year (and since August of last year), with a high of 93 at Bradley Airport (where official records are kept for the Hartford Area). For Bridgeport, the high of 87 broke the prior June 5th record by 1° set in 2021.
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MAY 22nd NOR’EASTER…
The nor’easter produced over 3.0″ of rain across SE CT! In the same area, wind gusts eclipsed 30 mph. To add insult to injury, it was unseasonably cool — statewide — with highs in the upper 40s and lower 50s (closer to our normal overnight low for this time of year)! And get this, we have tied the over 100 year old May 22nd record of 49 (from 1909) for lowest or ‘coolest’ high temperature in the Hartford Area! For Bridgeport, the high was 52… breaking the record lowest high of 54 from 2005!
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PRESIDENTS’ DAY WEEKEND STORM…
On Saturday, February 15, snow began falling in the afternoon ahead of a dynamic storm system. Snow was moderate to heavy at times, with totals ranging from an inch or two along the shoreline to a widespread 3-6″ inland (Canton was the top spot at 6.0″). As the night went on, milder air aloft allowed for a flip to sleet, then freezing rain. Ice accretion in central Connecticut was fairly impressive by Sunday morning, with totals between 0.25″ and 0.50″ for most of inland CT. Meriden ended up with 0.54″ of accretion! By the afternoon and evening, most communities saw heavy rain. Behind the front, winds began picking up, continuing on Monday. Power outages spiked Sunday into Monday as the strong wind brought down ice-covered branches. Gusts on Presidents’ Day Monday topped out between 50 and 60 mph for most! Branford gusted to 60 mph while Willimantic and Haddam Neck gusted to 58 mph. Bradley International recorded a gust of 55 mph. Wind chill values late Monday dropped to near zero.
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WINTER STORM BRANT…
Winter Storm Brant brought a range of snowfall totals to the state, from a few inches to as much as 6 inches of snow in Stonington. Some may be wondering why less snow fell than what was originally forecast. Well, a layer of warm air aloft, along with some drier air, resulted in snow transitioning to sleet and freezing drizzle shortly after midnight (ahead of initially thought). This drastically cut down the snowfall ratios which in turn cut down on snow totals. The warm air aloft unfortunately wasn’t portrayed within our computer modeling.
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EARTHQUAKE, JANUARY 27TH…
At 10:22am, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake occurred 6 miles to the southeast of York Harbor, ME. It was felt here in CT, but no damage was reported.
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MID-JANUARY ARCTIC BLAST…
Early Tuesday, a calm wind under a clear sky with snow cover = the coldest temps in almost 2 years! The January 21st low at Bradley Airport (where the official records are maintained for the Hartford Area) was -2; meanwhile, the coldest temperature reported to us was -16 in Colebrook!!
Early Wednesday morning (January 22) temps were colder! As we achieved ideal radiational cooling conditions, temps dropped dramatically! Many locations inland reported lows in the sub-zero range (to -18 in Norfolk). At Bradley Airport, the temp bottomed out at -6. While ~25 degrees below normal, we were no where near the January 22nd record. In fact, yesterday happened to coincide with our all-time coldest temperature on record for the Hartford Area. Back in 1961 the temperature dropped to -26! To note, the last time the Hartford Area had 2 consecutive days with lows below zero was in 2023, when we hit -5 on February 3rd; the next day was colder with a low of -9.
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WINTER STORM ALBATROSS…
Our 1st named storm of the season is now behind us, leaving anywhere from very little accumulation in SE CT to up to 6 inches inland (Vernon and Glastonbury, the jackpot locations). On Sunday, January 19th, an area of low pressure developed along a cold front southeast of Connecticut. As it moved north along the boundary, rain began and eventually transitioned to snow. While wet and heavy at first, the final snow showers were of a very light, fluffy consistency. Snow was done well before dawn on January 20th. This was the first widespread snow of the season.
For more on our history of naming winter storms, see below.
HISTORY AND CRITERIA FOR NAMING WINTER STORMS…
We are officially releasing our list of Winter Storm names for the ’24-’25 season. This year, the theme is birds. Here are the first 5: Albatross, Brant, Cardinal, Dove and Eagle.
WFSB/Channel 3 for over 50 years has been naming winter storms, a tradition we’re proud to carry on today. You may remember Blizzard Larry (the Blizzard of ’78), the big ice storm of December 1973 named Felix, Storm Alfred in late October of 2011 and Blizzard Charlotte in 2013. Alfred’s heavy, wet snow caused a record power outage in Connecticut and Blizzard Charlotte dumped up to 40″ of snow in parts of the state. It all began in 1971 with Channel 3 and the Travelers Weather Service.
Why did we decide to name storms so long ago? Because people easily remember names, especially the ones that have been attached to Connecticut’s biggest storms! Occasionally, we get criticized for naming winter storms, but by far most of our viewers love the tradition and find it fun! Certain criteria must be met for a storm to be named. We must be forecasting at least 6″ of snow for most of the state and/or at least ½” of ice accretion that would occur during an ice storm.
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