We have issued a First Alert as a wintry mix causes issues on the roads and state police said they responded to more than 100 crashes between midnight and 11:15 a.m., most of which were minor.
Trooper First Class Christine Jeltema, of state police, said minor injuries were reported in around 16 of the crashes.
Because of snow, sleet and freezing rain, hundreds of schools are closed or delayed opening Tuesday.
Jeltema advised anyone who needs to be on the roads to take it slow and clean off their vehicles.
As of 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, First Alert Chief Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan reported that the highest ice accretion (accumulation) totals are in the New Haven area as predicted. So far, there is 0.23" of ice accretion at Tweed Airport.
Road Closures and Highway Issues
Kevin Nursick, of the state Department of Transportation, said it does no tlook like there is a lot of precipitation out there, but there is a potential for icing on the roads, which are at below-freezing temperatures.
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He said the entire fleet is out, applying road treatments to keep them from freezing up.
"Snow is a nuisance and a bit of an inconvenience, but ice is a whole other level and is downright dangerous," Nursick said.
He said conditions are inconsistent and what appears to be perhaps just wet could actually be ice.
"We're doing a good job of kind of staying ahead of things here and we're keeping the briny mixture on the roadway, so it's keeping things from freezing up or refreezing, but we have to constantly reapply," Nursick said.
There have been several issues on the roads, including spinouts. A crash on Route 9 took down a utility pole.
“It’s definitely slippery out there," Julia Ruggieri, of Meriden, said. "I’m doing OK because my car is really good, but I’ve seen people slipping around and not having too easy of a time."
There was a crash in the same area earlier in the morning that had traffic at a standstill.
Robin Ayers, of Newington, said she was taking it slow on the roads into work because the roads might look wet, but they are icy.
There were also issues on I-91 in Windsor and Cromwell.
Another was on Route 9 North at exit 29, where traffic was at a standstill early Tuesday morning. There was also an issue on Route 9 in Cromwell.
Photos of Snow, Ice Storm
Up to 1/4-inch of ice accretion is possible inland on power lines and trees after several of inches of snow accumulation.
The shoreline may see anywhere from 1-3 inches of snow before turning over to ice, while inland parts of the state could see 3-5 inches of snow before the changeover to ice.
The wintry mix will slowly wind down during the day Tuesday followed by much colder air moving in Wednesday and Thursday.
