NWS: Possible '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 two feet of snow to some areas.

The National Weather Service today says that the current track of the storm could bring "near blizzard' conditions to parts of the state by Friday night "with significant snowfall likely" across southern Connecticut and eastern New York.

A winter storm watch was issued Wednesday afternoon for southern Fairfield and souther New Haven counties from Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon with snow accumulations between 10 to 20 inches.

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.

The long range forecast for New Canaan calls for a chance of snow before noon with a high near 30 degrees on Saturday and sunny with a high near 37 degrees on Sunday.

In 1978 a blizzard hit the state on Feb. 6 and the storm, which raged for about 24 hours, left as much as 30 inches of snow in some areas, forcing the closing of the state and paralyzing traffic for days.