The Big Storm That Wasn’t

By Steve Bigham

After more than 24 hours of hype, the Nor’Easter they called “Emily” finally hit the area Monday night and Tuesday. But like a joke without a punch line, the storm never quite lived up to its billing.

By Tuesday, about 12 inches had fallen, making it the second largest snowfall of the season. However, “Emily” will no doubt be remembered more for how long it lasted than for how much snow it blasted. Some forecasts were calling for as much as three or four feet of snow. This was clearly a case of weather not being an exact science.

Some rushed to the stores to buy milk and eggs after hearing reports that this one was going to be the storm of the century. They had apparently forgotten that the century had just started.

And then there was the waiting game that this pesky storm played on everyone, many of whom stayed home on Monday only to sit around as the storm lingered somewhere south of here. Many were heard complaining of cabin fever.

When the storm did finally hit, however, it made up for its tardiness by refusing to leave. For those charged with keeping the roads cleared, the storm made for a few sleepless nights and a lot of long hours behind the wheel of a plow truck.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley called it one of the toughest snowstorms his crew has ever had to deal with. It just kept going and going and going, he said. Kind of like the Energizer Bunny.

“We’ve had storms that dumped more snow, but they were much quicker. This one dragged on for so long that you had to constantly go out and keep up with it again and again,” Mr Hurley said.

Newtown highway department members reported for duty at 3:30 pm Sunday and didn’t go home until noon on Wednesday. The crew of 30 or so was paid a total of $41,000 in overtime. Already this year, the town has spent $412,000 in snow removal costs, which is believed to be an all-time record.

Partly due to all the hype, Governor John Rowland elected to ban all tractor trailer trucks from using major highways in Connecticut, which forced post offices statewide to suspend mail service. It also created headaches for businesses that rely on the mail to go through. Town offices were also closed, including those in Newtown, which did not open for business Monday or Tuesday.

One Newtown resident, agitated by all the panic, suggested Connecticut be banned from New England after showing its “Floridian colors” this week. Stores and restaurants were closed; even the Big Y shut down Monday night and all day Tuesday.

Gary Lessor of the Western Connecticut State University Weather Center said the storm did end up dumping as much as 16 inches in some spots around the Danbury area.

“There was a lot of hype, but the storm did come close to what it was supposed to be. All in all it did verify,” he said. “What made it last so long was the surface energy coming through on Monday and then the upper level energy coming through on Tuesday.”

Town Historian Dan Cruson said this week’s storm would have been considered little more than a flurry 80 years ago.

“Winters were much worse back in 20s and 30s. This type of a snowstorm was nothing. Snowstorms didn’t seem to stop life as they do today,” he said. “There were heavier snowfalls back then. It was colder and 20-24 inches of snow was not a big deal.”

Schools and stores rarely closed, probably because students could walk to school (barefoot in some suspect recollections), as could store owners, who usually lived nearby.

And as for clearing the roadway, the highway crews used to clear them by hand.

Speaking of highway crews, they’ll be back behind the wheel of their plows on Friday as another 2-4 inches is expected.