Heavy Snow, Northern Fairfield
- When
- December 30, 10:20 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Fairfield forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.285, -73.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Connecticut, December 30, 2000
A low pressure system rapidly intensified and moved north along the mid Atlantic coast during Saturday December 30th. This produced a wide swath of heavy snow to the northwest of the storm track.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS OKX wrote it up.
A low pressure system rapidly intensified and moved north along the mid Atlantic coast during Saturday December 30th. This produced a wide swath of heavy snow to the northwest of the storm track. Snowfall began between 6 and 8 AM across the area, and fell at intense rates right from the start. Snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour were common. There were also numerous reports of thunder and lightning accompanying the most intense snow bands. Winds also began to increase later Saturday morning, causing some blowing and drifting of snow, which reduced visibilities significantly, and created near blizzard conditions at times in some areas. As the low pressure center approached central Long Island early Saturday afternoon, milder air from the Atlantic Ocean wrapped into the storm system, and changed the heavy snow to a mixture of sleet and rain across southeast Connecticut. This limited snowfall amounts somewhat across this area.The low pressure center crossed southeast Connecticut during Saturday evening, before moving northeast into Maine Saturday night. As the low moved away, the precipitation tapered off across the area. Subfreezing temperatures and gusty winds lingered behind the storm system.Here are some snowfall totals from this storm system:Fairfield County: 10 inches at Stratford and Bridgeport, to 17 inches at Redding.New Haven County: 8 inches at Shelton and Cheshire, to 12 inches at Naugatuck.Middlesex County: 3.5 inches at Clinton, to 7 inches at Haddam.New London County: 2.5 inches at Groton, to 5.5 inches at Colchester.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 heavy snow, 2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Northern New Haven
- When
- December 30, 10:30 AM EST
- Where
- Northern New Haven forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.443, -72.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Fairfield
- When
- December 30, 10:55 AM EST
- Where
- Southern Fairfield forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.285, -73.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Southern New Haven
- When
- December 30, 11:30 AM EST
- Where
- Southern New Haven forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.443, -72.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northern Middlesex
- When
- December 30, 11:30 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Middlesex forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.451, -72.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Frost and Freeze in Florida, December 30 to 31, 2000
- Winter Storm in New York, December 30 to 31, 2000
- Heavy Snow in New Jersey, December 30, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Maine, December 30 to 31, 2000
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New York, December 30, 2000
- Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, December 30 to 31, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, December 30, 2000
- Winter Storm in Maine, December 30 to 31, 2000
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 30 to 31, 2000
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, December 30 to 31, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 30, 2000
- Heavy Snow in New Jersey, December 30, 2000
More
Every storm in Connecticut in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Connecticut, December 2000
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5167882, 5167883, 5167884, 5167885, 5167886.