Weather Service Calling For 'Near Blizzard' Conditions Friday Into Saturday

Just days past the 35th anniversary of the historic Blizzard of '78, which dumped more than two feet of snow on Connecticut, another major winter storm is bearing down on us and current computer models indicate it could bring as much as a foot of snow to some areas.

While not expected to be as extreme as the 1978 storm, which struck on Feb. 6 and raged for about 24 hours, leaving as much as 30 inches of snow in some areas, forcing the closing of the state and paralyzing traffic for days, the National Weather Service says that the current track of the storm could bring "near blizzard' conditions to parts of the state by Friday night.

The weather services says it is still watching the approaching system and is holding off on issuing any hazardous weather warnings until the track and size of the storm become more clear. As of Wednesday morning, the weather service is calling for the snow likely to start Thursday evening and then a mix of rain and snow throughout the day on Friday in East Windsor and Windsor Locks.

Some areas will see a few inches of snow, but the eastern part of the state could see as much as a foot of snow, the weather service is currently predicting.

The impending snow is the result of two storms that are coming together, one from the Great Lakes region, the other from the Gulf Coast, as they approach the Northeast, according to Fox Meteorologist Rachel Frank. The Gulf system has a lot of moisture and the one from the Great Lakes is bringing little precipitation but plenty of cold air, Frank says.