No School Monday [UPDATE]

Add your snow pictures to our Pics & Clips gallery!

See the most recent Connecticut Light & Power outage report.

Update 5:40 p.m., Feb. 10

Due to the weather, all Newtown public schools will be closed Monday, Feb. 11. Main offices will remain open, according to the district. Freezing rain is expected for tomorrow's morning commute, and many offices and schools are closed across the state.

Update, 8:45 p.m., Feb. 9

Gov. Dannel Malloy has submitted a request to the White House asking for a presidential declaration of emergency for Connecticut.

"As we continue with the recovery from this historic winter storm, I am asking the federal government to provide us assistance with this process," Malloy said. "If granted, this declaration would provide much needed help to our state."

Many counties in Connecticut may have received record or near-record snowfall, according to a release from the state. A request to the federal government for aid allows for an addition in commodities like snow removal equipment and generators.

Saturday, 3:15 p.m.

Gov. Dannel Malloy will lift Connecticut's travel ban at 4 p.m. for all roads in the state, including limited access highways.

Saturday, 2:15 p.m.

First Selectman Pat Llodra spent part of today observing progress on roads around Newtown as public works crews and the Connecticut Department of Transportation have been clearing areas around Newtown.

Most major throughways, including Route 25, Churchill Road and Route 34, are mostly clear. Motorists should use caution, as roads are stick slick, Llodra warns.

"Local roads are being cleared quickly, given the snow fall total," said Llodra. "Some neighborhoods will have to be serviced with bucket loaders and small plows. That work will take a bit longer. I am advised by Newtown DPW that all local roads should be cleared this afternoon."

Llodra reminds all residents to call 911 if there is an access problem with an imminent health or safety issue, and emergency services and public works will respond.

"Also, winds are causing some drifting of snow so we urge folks to use caution on all roads," said Llodra.

Saturday, 1:10 p.m.

The Newtown Police Department cautions residents to remain in their homes and keep off the roads today as snow in Fairfield County is reported to range from 18'' to 30''. 

Roads will be cleared methodically, reported a police dispatcher.

Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

The storm has been blamed for at least two deaths, one in Prospect in which an elderly woman was reportedly hit by a car while snow blowing her driveway, and a 49-year-old Shelton man who died while shoveling his driveway.

A death in Danbury may also be connected to the storm.

Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Gov. Dannel Malloy will hold a media briefing on the snowstorm tomorrow, Saturday, February 9, at 12:02 p.m.

Friday, 6:00 p.m.

The sun sets in Newtown with no sign of slowed snowfall.

The state's emergency management service reports for this evening and overnight: "Blizzard conditions with snowfall rates up to 5” per hour and zero visibilities at times in blowing and drifting snow.  Lows dropping into the low 20s statewide with Northeast Winds gusting to 50 MPH inland."

Some Newtown residents are sharing their snow day photos with the community on Patch. Share yours by uploading them directly to our Pics & Clips gallery.

Friday, 4:00 p.m.

Gov. Dannel Malloy has issued a travel ban on limited access highways for the state of Connecticut, effective as of 4 p.m.

“As the weather gets worse over the next few hours, we need to keep the roads clear, so that emergency-related personnel and utility crews can reach those that may need our help,” Malloy said. “By traveling in these conditions, you are not only putting yourself in danger, but you are potentially risking the lives of first responders, utility workers and other residents. Please be safe.”

Friday, 2:45 p.m.

While the first outages stemming from the blizzard have been reported in other towns in Fairfield County -- most notably, New Canaan, with 279 outages -- no outages have yet been reported for Newtown.

In a CodeRed message broadcast to the town at 2 p.m., Newtown emergency officials urged residents to report any outages directly to Connecticut Light & Power, rather than reaching out to local authorities.

To report an outage to CL&P, use their web-based outage report form or call 800-286-2000.

Friday, 1:00 p.m.

Big Y Supermarket will be closing early at 5 p.m. today.

Friday, 12:15 p.m.

The Newtown Emergency Communications Center will release a CodeRed emergency broadcast at about 2 p.m. today, officials say. The alert will encourage residents to stay inside and seek "in-place" shelter.

"Stay home," said Emergency Director Maureen Will. "You don’t need to be out unless it’s an emergency. If it’s an emergency, we’ll come to you."

Emergency officials plan to release another broadcast Saturday after their 11 a.m. meeting.

Since residents are being encouraged to stay in place, the emergency shelter at Newtown High School will not be opened, said Will.

Friday, 11:30 a.m.

The Connecticut DMV and AAA offices are closed Saturday, Feb. 9, according to the DMV website. AAA offices statewide are closing at noon Friday for DMV transactions. The company will be taking calls for roadside assistance. 

Friday, 11:15 a.m.

Gov. Dannel Malloy has declared a State of Emergency for Connecticut. Limited access roads may be subject to closure as early as noon, and the Governor is asking all residents to limit nonessential travel.

"People need to take this storm seriously," said Malloy. "If current predictions are accurate, we will need people to stay off the roads so that emergency personnel and utility crews can get to the places they need to get to, and to make sure that our plows can keep critical roadways clear."

All town offices close at noon today, according to Newtown's web site.

Friday, 11:00 a.m.

Additional closures and cancellations:

• The 4 p.m. Saturday screening of Astral at the HealingNewtown arts space has been cancelled. The 7 p.m. screening is still on as planned.
• The free movie at Edmond Town Hall scheduled for Friday night has been cancelled and will be rescheduled.
• In Hartford, Gov. Dannel Malloy's Sandy Hook Commission hearing has been cancelled and rescheduled to Friday, February 15.

Friday, 10:45 a.m.

Due to the weather, the C. H. Booth Memorial Library will be closed Friday and will open at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Schools and offices are closed today.

Other businesses currently open / closed, according to Facebook (Let us know about your business in the comments):

• Julie Allen Bridals, closed Friday and Saturday (Sunday hours 10-2)
• Your Healthy Pet, currently open but may close
• Newtown MediSpa
• Newtown Savings Bank closed at noon Friday and will remain closed Saturday.

Additionally, We Are Newtown will not be out for its weekly encampment at Exit 11 on Saturday morning.

9:45 a.m.

All Parks and Recreation activities have been cancelled for today, February 8, and tomorrow, February 9.

10:45 p.m.

Emergency notification updates for the town of Newtown are provided by the CodeRed emergency system. Patch will share emergency information as it becomes available.

Long lines were reported at grocery stores and gas stations across Newtown, including at Citgo on south Main Street, where lines of cars nearly reached the road. (See photo.)

As of late Thursday, the National Weather Service has upgraded Nemo to a blizzard. A Blizzard Warning is in effect from 6 a.m. Friday through 1 p.m. Saturday. Snow is expected to continue up to Saturday at noon, coming to an end sometime in the afternoon.

The weekend forecast, courtesy of the National Weather Service:

• Friday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 33. East wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.
• Friday Night: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 20. Blustery, with a northeast wind around 23 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 9 to 13 inches possible.
• Saturday: Snow likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 25. Blustery, with a north wind 20 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
• Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 5. Northwest wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

4:45 p.m.

All Newtown schools and offices will be closed tomorrow, Friday, February 8.

12:00 p.m.

Winter storm Nemo is expected to hit Newtown and the rest of Western Connecticut with force Friday morning, creating "near-blizzard conditions" from Friday into Saturday, after a mixture of rain and snow late Thursday night.

Gov. Dannel Malloy will host a briefing this evening at 6:02 p.m. on the storm. Patch will bring you updates afterwards, including updates on possible school closures for Friday.