Friday Weather Closures & Info

Update 2:07 p.m.:

Thanks for the snow pics, Theresa R. and Cath!

Update 1:28 p.m.:

The Darien Nature Center is closed for the day—it always follows the Darien Public School closings (as do some nursery schools in town).

Update 9:33 a.m.:

All Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles road tests scheduled before 1 p.m. were canceled yesterday.

Update 8:43 a.m.:

OPEN: Darien Library just announced on Twitter (8:41 a.m.): "Darien Library will open at our usual time today: 9am. See you soon!"

Update 8:42 a.m.:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Twitter (8:34 a.m.): "New Haven Line Customers should anticipate delays of 5 to 10 minutes in both directions due to weather related conditions."

Update 8:38 a.m.:

The National Weather Service reports these snowfall totals for selected spots in Connecticut from various sources:

In Fairfield County:

• Danbury: 10 inches at 7 a.m.

• Newtown: 9.4 inches at 6 a.m.

• New Canaan: 8.8 inches at 4 a.m.

• Norwalk: 7.8 inches at 6 a.m.

• Bridgeport: 6.0 inches at 7 a.m.

Also:

• Old Saybrook: 3.5 inches at 4 a.m.

• Norwich: 3.0 inches at 4 a.m.

• Meriden: 4.0 inches at 4 a.m.

• New Haven: 3.3 inches at 4 a.m.

Update 8:30 a.m.:

Urs Klarer comments below: "German School of CT in Stamford: closed today, open Saturday." (The school's Facebook pages confirm.)

Update 8:23 a.m.:

Darien Police on Twitter at 8:02 a.m.: "Public Works is actively clearing roads but slippery conditions exist. Darien Police advise to reduce speed & avoid unnecessary travel."

Update 7:45 a.m.:

To give you a sense of what the National Weather Service is saying about the situation as of now, here's an unusually long list (with links) of their outlooks, advisories and statement for this morning—essentially, they're saying, it's a pretty snowy day out there, so be careful, folks:

• Winter Weather Advisory ("The heavy wet snow combined with gusty winds could lead to a few downed tree branches and power lines.")
• Coastal Flood Advisory (in effect until 10 a.m.; tides 2 to 2.5 feet above normal; "Isolated closures. There is no significant threat to life and impact on property is minimal.")
• Coastal Flood Statement (essentially repeats the Coastal Flood Advisory—see just above)
• Hazardous Weather Outlook ("No hazardous weather at this time that would meet National Weather Service warning criteria.")

Update 7:32 a.m.:

Hardly anyone without power in this area as of 7:17 on a morning full of snow, according to CL&P: One customer each in Darien and Norwalk, 31 in Wilton, none in New Canaan, Stamford and Greenwich.

Update 7:28 a.m.:

OPEN (late): The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk has announced it will be open at noon today: "Kids out of school?" the aquarium says on its Twitter account. "Bring them to the Aquarium."

Update 7:24 a.m.:

King Low Thomas Heywood School in Stamford is closed, they announced on  Facebook and on Twitter.

Update 7:23 a.m.:

OPEN: Flair Fitness Studio in Goodwives Shopping Center is holding classes as usual. Here's what they say on their Facebook page:

Snow, schmow. We are still ready to sweat it out at Flair today, Friday, March 8. Here's our accommodating snow day schedule:
Shape It Up at 10:00
Zumba at 10:30
Barre at 11:00
If you can't make a class that you've pre-registered for, please call the studio at 203 202 9200 and let us know so we can make room for someone on the wait list. And yes, there is a wait list today!

Update 7:19 a.m.:

Five Mile River Nursery School in Rowayton is closed due to the weather, the school announced on its website and on Twitter.

Update 7:16 a.m.:

Well, just how much snow is there in Darien? The National Weather Service has issued a "Winter Weather Advisory" saying that by noon the area can expect snow accumulations of up to 6 inches

Bill Ozanne of Darien reports on his Twitter account at 7:08 a.m.: "7" in Darien as of 7am. For reference, that would be a major snowstorm in Chicago."

The SW CT Weather Info Twitter account tweeted at 5:59 a.m.: "Snowfall totals: New Canaan 8.8 inches as of 4 AM, Danbury 8.4 inches as of 5 AM, Darien 2.8 inches as of 4 AM."

John Sini of Darien replied on Twitter that "the Darien measurement seems very conservative... At least as of 6:30 am."

Tell us how much snow you see out there.

Update 7:01 a.m.:

Here's the National Weather Service forecast specifically for Darien as of 5:58 a.m.:

• Friday: "Snow before 1pm, then rain and snow likely between 1pm and 4pm, then a chance of rain after 4pm. High near 38. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible."
• Tonight: "Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 26. North wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph."
• Saturday: "Sunny, with a high near 47. North wind 8 to 10 mph."
• Saturday Night: "Mostly clear, with a low around 30. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening."
• Sunday: "Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon."
• Sunday Night: "Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36."
• Monday: "A chance of showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Chance of precipitation is 30%."
• Monday Night: "A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 41. Chance of precipitation is 50%."
• Tuesday: "A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Chance of precipitation is 50%."

Update 6:52 a.m.:

The Darien Community Association has announced it will be closed today, due to the weather.

Update 6:48 a.m.:

The Darien YMCA announced on its Facebook page:

"We apologize for this change: The Darien YMCA will not open until 7:00 AM to allow for extra time to plow parking lot and sidewalks. All youth classes and lessons are cancelled for the day. All adult fitness classes are on a regular schedule."

Original article 5:55 a.m.:

All Darien Public Schools will be closed on Friday, March 8, due to the weather, according to its Web site.

A few inches of snow fell overnight across the town, and more snow on its way between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

The winter storm now moving off the coast “will continue to bring a plethora of hazards to the Northeast through early Saturday," according to the NWS.

“Strong winds, high waves and coastal flooding will impact the coast from New Jersey to Maine, while heavy snow is forecast across inland locations,” officials said.