If you are a snowlover, and you live in Central or Northern Connecticut, you have to be a bit unhappy... It seems that Connecticut was in a void as it relates to winter cold and snow. For the three months of Dec. Jan. Feb., Bradley reported 3 inches of snow below normal and temperatures about 2-3 degrees warmer that normal.

Yet along the shoreline and points south, the picture dramatically changed. Bridgeport picked up about 17-18 inches more snow than normal, and the three-month temperature was just a shade less than 1 degree below normal. And of course, point south even had more snow.....Philadelphia, Baltimore, Wahington picked up record snowfalls of around 80 inches. What a mixed up year!

Technically, Connecticut's weather was close to "normal," but tell that to the folks living in Greenwich.

A lot of people are blaming the El Nino Oscillation which brought warmer than normal ocean temperatures to the eastern Pacific. Storms formed in abundance and moved through the Southeast. But equally important was a blocking pattern in the North Atlantic which forced cold air to move far to the south. The cold, dense air blocked the northward motion of the storms and forced them out to sea. Southern Connecticut seemed to be on the border zone. The cold circulation was part of the North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO) which was in its cold, negative phase.

It will be a winter to remember.

"I feel horrendous ... this is a forecast that just did not go as planned."

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For over a month, storm after storm has been forced out to sea by a very deep Negative NAO which just means the flow of air was cold and dry from Greenland. Most of the time, a negative NAO is trouble, helping to generate storms along and north of the warm Gulf Stream. But during this whacky year, the cold air was so deep that the mid-Atlantic received the weather which we normally receive.

Well, this time, the storm system is taking a more northerly route, and some rain could fall to our south, not snow. A mix of precip might even fall for awhile along our shore.

In any case, upwards of a foot of snow may fall statewide. A good 12 hour period of heavy snow will fall, and winds could gust over 40 mph. It should begin during the wee hours of Wednesday. It will be a classic moderate to heavy snowstorm.

It wasn't a lot of snow, just 1-3 inches, but the squalls which were expected for the afternoon came during the morning rush hour. Temperatures were cold enough for icing to take place, and later today, temperatures will really take a tumble. Icy roads are to be expected. Tonight, wind chills will be between 0 to 10 below.

So what happened?

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The winter progresses - far from over, but at this point I wanted to list the snowfall totals for Hartford and New Haven:

Dec. 5: 0.1"(NH) 1"(HFD)

Dec. 9: 2.5"(NH) 6"(HFD)

Dec. 20: 11"(NH) 3.5"(HFD)

Dec. 31: 1.5"(NH) 2.0"(HFD)

Jan. 2: .25"(NH) 0.5"(HFD)

Jan. 4: 2.0"(NH) 0.5"(HFD)

Jan. 8: 0.75"(NH) 1"(HFD)

Jan. 28: 1.5"(NH) 4.7"(HFD)

Feb. 3: 0.5"(NH) 0.8(HFD)

Feb. 10: 4.5"(NH) 1.7(HFD)

Feb 16: 9.25"(NH) 5.3"(HFD)

Feb 27: 3"(NH) 0.1"(HFD)

Just seven days ago, record warmth occurred around the region. The temperature reached into the upper 60s and set records for the day. Now, one week later, it is deep winter with snow, and some classic midwinter cold. If you like wacky winter weather, this may be your season, El Nino should stay the season, and anything goes.

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Back in October, snow was falling out of the sky. A recovery helped at the end of the month, but October finished nearly 2 degrees below normal. I have found that when both October and November average two or more degrees below normal, the winter is rough with more cold and plenty of snow. But with the dramatic reversal experienced this warm month, could it be a lost cause for us snowlovers? Or could it be a bonanza for many people such as my wife? What do you think?

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Last week I raised the question whether you preferred standard or saving time during late October mornings.....and the response has been overwhelmingly in favor of standard time. It has been too darn dark during the past couple of weeks. In fact, the latest sunrise of the year occurs Oct. 31.....not Dec. 21. And this is because of our clocks remaining on saving time until the last weekend of October.

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