Winter Storm in Connecticut, March 31, 1997

On March 31 and April 1, a classic late season nor'easter tracked from the Chesapeake Bay area northeast to central coastal New Jersey then slowly out to sea. This system produced rain across Litchfield County during the morning hours of March 31. The rain changed to heavy wet snow by early afternoon. Snowfall amounts were highly elevation dependent, with up to two feet of snow reported in the Litchfield Hills. Some specific snowfall totals included: 21 inches at Norfolk, 19 inches at Bakersville, 15 inches at Winchester and 12 inches at Litchfield. The wet snow brought down many trees and power lines causing widespread power outages and road closures. Approximately 30,000 customers lost power. Some areas remained without power for several days. Power outages were most widespread in the Towns of Cornwall and Goshen. More than 150 residences needed the utility line from the pole to the house replaced. Across the county, 6 utility poles and 16 transformers had to be replaced along with 80,000 feet of primary power line.