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"Make no mistake: This storm has the potential to be extremely powerful and dangerous," Malloy said during a 5 p.m. televised press conference in Hartford. "So do not take this storm lightly. We are not."
The state has instituted a travel ban on all roads beginning at 9 p.m. Monday and lasting for the duration of the blizzard, which is expected to blow across the state and drop up to 30 inches of snow through midnight Tuesday.
"I encourage all Connecticut residents watching this broadcast to begin to find a place to weather the storm that is approaching," Malloy said. "Please get off the road as soon as possible. This will be a powerful storm with accumulations now predicted to range between 2 and 3 feet, with snow drifts that could accumulate to 4 feet in some places."
Any motorists on roads during the height of the storm would be faced with a severe snow situation and would endanger first responders.
"We could have snow falling as rapidly as 5 inches per hour," as he urged motorists to not venture out at all. He said the storm could last 18 to 24 hours with winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts of 50 mph.
The last train headed to Connecticut out of Grand Central Terminal will leave at 9 p.m. on the New Haven Line, he said. Bradley International Airport's last flight will be at 7 p.m.
A total of 400 National Guardsmen will be deployed to help State Police. The state has more than 600 trucks available to clear and treat roads in addition to all municipal and private plows.
The University of Connecticut and all state colleges will be closed Tuesday, Malloy said. All first and second shift nonessential state employees were ordered to stay home on Tuesday.
Connecticut Light & Power has 500 line and tree crews available and will be bolstered by out-of-state crews as will United Illuminating, Malloy said. He warned that power outages could cause residents to lose power for 24 to 48 hours because of the difficulty restoring power in the high winds.
"Connecticut has been down this road before. We have weathered storms together and we have done that well and we will again weather this storm," he said.
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