Highways held out for hours on Thursday, but the heavy snow kept falling. About an inch or more of snow fell each hour through the afternoon and into the evening.
Authorities closed both directions of Interstates 91 and 84 in downtown Hartford just after 5:30 p.m. after two tractor-trailers got stuck and another one jackknifed.
"It's just downright dangerous out there," Gov. Jodi Rell told Eyewitness News via telephone.
When all was said and done, Harwinton, Wolcott, Falls Village and Coventry all reported receiving a foot or more of snow accumulation. Bristol, New Britain, Simsbury and Goshen recorded more than 10 inches.
State police reported receiving calls of at least 700 crashes along the state's 5,000 miles of roadways.
Channel 3's Pinpoint Traffic map indicated red all across the state's highways, which indicated stopped traffic, throughout the afternoon.Click Here For Driving Tips From State PoliceIt took many commuters as many as two hours to get through downtown Hartford via Interstate 91. No major roads were closed through the afternoon, but police said many single lanes were blocked.
Erin Postemski, a nurse at New Britain General Hospital, was among the many drivers who were stuck in traffic along I-84. It took her six hours to get home to Manchester.
"There were spinouts, there were tractor-trailers on the side of the road, people abandoned cars," she said. "It was impossible. There was no way, if there was an emergency, that anyone was getting through."
WFSB.com's Stephanie Berning reported from the backup along northbound I-91 that several people got out of their cars, some who were brushing off snow and ice and others who were walking alongside the highway.
State police warned drivers not to get out of their cars while on the road.
Berning reported it took about 45 minutes for the traffic to travel between one exit. She left WFSB's Rocky Hill studios at 3:30 p.m., and it took her 45 minutes to get close to Exit 23. She got home in East Granby more than five hours later.
Season's First Big Storm Strikes
Winter Storm Alexander began dropping snow across Connecticut at about 11:30 a.m.
"When all is said and done, Winter Storm Alexander will blanket most of Connecticut with 8 to 14 inches of snow," Channel 3 Early Warning Weather Chief Meteorologist Bruce DePrest said.
Already, the National Weather Service issued late on Thursday night a
Winter Storm Watch for Litchfield County to take effect late Saturday night and last into Monday.
The tradition of naming winter storms at Channel 3 began with the Old Travelers Weather Service in 1971. There must be at least six inches of snow and/or a half inch of ice accretion for storms to get named.
Connecticut Light and Power reported very few scattered outages throughout the state. Utility spokesman Mitch Gross told Eyewitness News that some 67 customers -- out of 1.2 milllion -- lost power Thursday.
The governor said it took her two hours to travel from Suffield to the State Capitol on Thursday morning. Highways throughout the state remained crowded throughout the morning into the evening.
"Everyone, please, if you don't have to be out, please go home. Kick back, put your feet up, have a cup of tea, watch the news and say, 'Thank goodness I'm home,'" Rell said.
The state Department of Transportation said it will have a full staff of 1,500 employees working on the roads. Officials said that 632 trucks would cover 5,000 miles of state roads. ConnDOT officials could not pinpoint the number of crashes due to a large number of incidents reported.
"We have a small crew at the emergency operations center now monitoring the state roads," Rell told Eyewitness News at 4 p.m.
Many of the plow trucks that were out treating the roads were stuck in the same traffic that plagued the roadways throughout the day.
ConnDOT told Eyewitness News that there is no truck ban in effect in the state, contrary to initial reports.
Non-Essential State Employees Dismissed
The governor ordered the dismissal of all non-essential state employees at 12:30 p.m. Legislative staffers were dismissed at noon, and judicial staffers were dismissed at 1 p.m.
"I want everyone to get home safely and to then stay there until the storm passes," Rell said. "This will allow crews from the state Department of Transportation and local crews to clear our highways and roads quickly and effectively."
Cancellations Reported At Airport
Bradley International Airport spokesman John Wallace told Eyewitness News that about a third of the airport's flights were canceled through 4 p.m.
He said the number of cancellations was expected to rise as the storm progressed. About 300 flights go in and out of the airport each day.
Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Len Besthoff reported in Windsor Locks that Bradley's international flight from Amsterdam made it in safely on Thursday, and flights continued to take off and land through 5 p.m.
United Airlines had canceled all of it departures from the airport by 2 p.m. The airline urged passengers to contact United to reschedule flights by dialing
1-800-UNITED-1.Schools, Institutions Close For Day
Several organizations canceled evening events and towns across the state have enacted parking bans. The storm led to hundreds of closures and early dismissals across the state. By 2 p.m., more than 600 closings had been reported.
Click Here For A Complete List Of Closings.So far, Friday's forecast is shaping up to be a pretty nice day with partly sunny skies and highs ranging from the mid 30s to the lower 40s.
Click here for the latest forecast
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