5 Years ago Today: The “Commute from Hell” Storm

November 15th, 2018 was the date of one worst weather related commutes in recent memory in our area. When forecasting, we always want to be accurate, but it’s also important to communicate potential impacts. This storm had added ingredients besides simple snow totals that made it an extremely high impact event:

– Snow started right before rush hour

– Snow occurred on a weekday (Thursday)

– First Snowstorm of the Year

– Low November afternoon sun angle

– Snowfall rates >1 inch per hour

While 6-12 inches of snow across CT should hardly be crippling, the added factors with this storm made it memorable, and a case study for future forecasts. Our goal is to use storms like this to not only forecast weather, but forecast how the weather impacts you.

Article by Meteorologist Jack Drake