Winter Storm, Litchfield
- When
- March 5, 1:00 PM EST to March 6, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Litchfield forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.847, -73.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A large storm center formed off the mid Atlantic coast on the morning of March 5. The low proceeded slowly to the north, off the DelMarVa peninsula, then the coast of New Jersey, reaching just south of central Long Island by late in the day. Then, during the overnight hours, a strong upper level disturbance, diving south from the eastern Great Lakes, added energy to the storm and forced it to temporarily track to the west and nearly stall near New York city. The cyclone then pulled southeast away from Long Island later on March 6. This storm, the biggest nor'easter of the winter season, produced an extended period of moderate to heavy snow, starting early Monday morning and not ending until Tuesday evening. Some sleet and freezing rain mixed in during the day Monday but this was primarily a snow maker. A general 12 to 18 inches of snow fell across Litchfield County. Specific snowfall amounts included 14.5 inches at Bakersville, 12 inches at Thomaston Lake and 18 inches at Falls Village. Many schools and businesses were closed across Northwest Connecticut. The governor declared a ban on all commercial truck travel from 5AM Monday the 5th, until noon the following Tuesday. Also, for the first time since 1978, the U.S. Postal Service was closed throughout the state.