Heavy Snow in Connecticut, February 17 to 18, 2003

Name: Heavy Snow in Connecticut, February 17 to 18, 2003
Start: 2003-02-17T05:00
End: 2003-02-18T00:00
Location: Connecticut

February 17 to 18, 2003 · NWS OKX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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.

With an exceptionally strong high pressure system over New England, a low pressure system developed off the Mid Atlantic Coast. Periods of light snow developed as northeast winds increased to around 15 mph across Southern CT Sunday evening, February 16th. Snow became widespread and heavy, falling at rates up to 2 to 3 inches per hour Sunday night and Monday, February 17th. Heavy snow blown by northeast winds 20 to 30 mph caused near blizzard conditions throughout the area. Record heavy snowfalls crippled mass transit. In addition, widespread minor tidal flooding accompanied this system.Storm Total Snowfall ranged from around 13 to 24 inches.Here are selected specific snowfall amounts for:Fairfield County: from 16.0 inches at Norwalk to 24.0 inches at New Fairfield. At Sikorsky Airport in Bridgeport, 17.0 inches was measured.New Haven County: from 15.0 inches at Milford to 24.0 inches at Wolcott.Middlesex County: from 15.0 inches at Haddam to 15.7 inches at Old Saybrook.New London County: from 13.0 inches at Taftville to 21.0 inches at Preston.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS New York, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 17, 3:30 AM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 17, 3:30 AM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 17, 4:56 AM EST, 4 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 17, 4:40 AM EST, 20 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Southern Fairfield

When: February 17, 5:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Fairfield forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.285, -73.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Fairfield

When: February 17, 9:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Fairfield forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.285, -73.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern New Haven

When: February 17, 10:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Southern New Haven forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.443, -72.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern New Haven

When: February 17, 11:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Northern New Haven forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.443, -72.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Middlesex

When: February 17, 11:00 AM EST to February 18, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Northern Middlesex forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.451, -72.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Middlesex

When: February 17, 11:00 AM EST to February 18, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Middlesex forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.451, -72.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern New London

When: February 17, 12:00 PM EST to February 18, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Northern New London forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.504, -72.101 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern New London

When: February 17, 12:00 PM EST to February 18, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Southern New London forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.504, -72.101 (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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Connecticut in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Connecticut, February 2003

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: 5344479, 5344475, 5344480, 5344476, 5344477, 5344481, 5344478, 5344482.