As of Tuesday afternoon, WFSB meteorologists had named the storm expected to hit Thursday as Winter Storm Easton.
This year, storms are being named after Connecticut towns that could also be a person's name, WFSB meteorologist Bruce DePrest said. Easton is the fifth major winter storm to hit Connecticut this year following Ashford, Bethany, Chester and Derby.
The naming of winter storms is a longtime tradition at WFSB and when the station was called WTIC before that. The television station has been naming storms since 1971.
A Winter Storm Warning begins at midnight and lasts until Friday, Feb. 14, at 6 a.m. The major nor’easter should arrive in earnest in the area at about 3 a.m. Thursday. The snow could be heavy at times Thursday morning and produce strong, gusty winds.
The current projection for snowfall accumulation is for 10 to 14 inches in most of Fairfield County. Temperatures will be in the upper 20s to low 30s, with northeast winds of 10 to 20 mph and gusts of up to 30 mph.
The heavy, wet snow combined with gusting winds could cause trees and power lines to fall. Travel conditions will be treacherous with the significant snowfall.
Periods of snow should continue until around the early morning hours of Friday.
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