Malloy Closes Roads, Bans Travel in Connecticut Until Further Notice

By Deborah Straszheim

Snow continued this morning, and Gov. Dannel Malloy ordered all roads closed and issued a travel ban in Connecticut.

The National Weather Service said "the historic storm is winding down," but said the blizzard warning remains in effect until noon Saturday.

Connecticut Light and Power reported 114 Middletown customers without power as of 8:30 a.m. Saturday

Snowfall Totals

Below are some snowfall totals, unofficial observations, recorded by the National Weather Service: 

• Groton 8.0 inches as of 10:00 p.m. 2/08 CT DOT
• Norwich 25.0 inches as of 4 a.m. 2/09 CT DOT
• Stonington 7.5 inches as of 10:30 p.m. 2/08 Skywarn Spotter
• Lisbon 15.0 inches as of 10:58 p.m. 2/08 Skywarn Spotter
• New Haven 29.8 inches as of 4:00 a.m. 2/09 CT DOT
• Colchester 18.5 inches as of 4:00 a.m. 2/09 CT DOT
• Guilford 27.0 inches as of 2:00 a.m. 2/09 Public
• Milford 25.5 inches as of 4:00 a.m. 2/09 CT DOT
• North Branford 24.0 inches as of 12:30 a.m. 2/09 Public
• Branford 22.0 inches as of 12:45 a.m. 2/09 Public
• Naugutuck 21.0 inches as of 2:00 a.m. 2/09 Public
• Cheshire 16.0 inches as of 11:00 p.m. 2/08 Public

Travel Banned

Gov. Malloy issued this statement about closing the roads: 

Governor Malloy has ordered all roads in Connecticut closed until further notice. This traffic ban extends to all vehicles except for those emergency response and recovery vehicles with the capacity to maneuver in heavy snow. 

"It's critical right now that residents stay off the roads, so that our plows can continue their efforts to clear our streets and highways," said Governor Malloy. "This is a record setting storm.  It's going to take time to dig out of the snow. Stalled or abandoned vehicles will only slow that process.  Unless you face an emergency, please stay put." 

Notice of the travel ban was sent over the state's Emergency Broadcast System.

Connecticut transit bus service was shut down down at 4 p.m. Friday, and the shut down will remain in effect until further notice.

Power Outages

The New York Times reported that 650,000 are without power throughout the Northeast, mostly in New England. 

Marcy Reed, president of National Grid, said failures could last several days because repairs cannot begin until the storm ends and will require unearthing power lines buried under mounds of snow.

Stonington and East Lyme were among the areas hardest hit in Connecticut, with more than 4,000 customers, or 50 percent of the town, without power in Stonington, and 7,652 without power in East Lyme, or 80 percent of the total CL&P customers in town. 

The National Weather Service reported snow accumulations of up to 36 inches in some areas. As of 5 a.m., north winds from 15 to 25 mph were gusting up to 40 mph. Temperatures were in the lower 20s.

"The strongest winds and heaviest snow will occur through daybreak ... travel is not recommended this morning as many roads are impassable with numerous reports of closed roads and stranded cars."