Blizzard Snows In Hamden

For days it was predicted, and the Blizzard of 2013 delivered in a big way Friday as the snow that began to fall in the morning piled up during the day until it totaled up to a foot and a half Friday night.

And the forecast calls for the snow to continue throughout the morning Saturday, when it is finally predicted to stop. Snow totals could end up at two feet or more, according to meteorologists.

By Friday afternoon the roads had already become filled with icy slush and cars were sliding around. Traffic was light as residents headed pleas from officials to stay home to allow plows to do their job keeping the roads clear.

But by Friday night town trucks were rerouted to the town's main roads to assist police and fire to help keep those routes clear, making the town's side roads even more treacherous.

Hamden resident Jen Hirsch Pugliese said when there was a carbon monoxide leak at her Colony Street home Friday night, Firefighterz Mark Guarino and Firefighter Dan Brown, both of Engine 15, walked on foot to her home and stayed there for more than two hours to bring the levels down.

"They saved my family tonight," she said. "Myself, my husband and our two young boys are eternally grateful for these two men."

At the height of the storm, snow fell at a rate of 2-4" an hour. White out conditions prevailed for hours and the winds made visibility even worse.

Mayor Scott Jackson declared a state of emergency at 3 p.m., sending town workers home.

Statewide, Gov. Dannel Malloy did likewise and banned traffic from state highways. Connecticut Transit shuttered its service as of 4 p.m. and Metro North stopped service to Grand Central Station Friday night.

As the winds picked up Friday evening, power went out for as many as 1,500 town residents, but by midnight it was restored to almost all. The bulk of the outages was near the New Haven line near West Rock Park and in the area of Benham Street and Paradise Avenue.

The National Weather Service predicts Snow for today, mainly before 1 p.m. It will be cloudy with a high near 27, and blustery with a northwest wind around 23 mph and gusts as high as 34 mph. The chance of precipitation is 70 percent and new snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches is possible.

A blizzard warning is in effect until 1 p.m.