State Police Respond to 167 Crashes During Season's 1st Winter Storm

The drive was a mess for hours on Tuesday after the first winter storm of the season brought snow, sleet and rain to the state after a spell of unusually warm weather.

State police said they responded to 167 crashes as of 1:45 p.m. AAA said they responded to more than 925 calls in the greater Hartford region alone, including at least 30 extractions. 

Some of the crashes were minor spin outs, while others were more severe.

Two people who were injured in a crash on Interstate 84 Eastbound in Tolland, near exit 69, were transported from the scene. Another person was pulled from a vehicle that rolled over on Interstate 84 West in New Britain, while another crash closed Route 40 East to Interstate 91 South in North Haven.

Officials from the state Department of Transportation said all 634 trucks the state owns were out in shifts that started in Southwestern Connecticut at 7 p.m. on Monday and continues throughout the morning.  

Crews used salt and ice melt and did not use any of the 200 state contractors.

The storm has also been affecting traffic at Bradley Airport. The airport is open, but there are several delays and cancellations. The Twitter account for the airport says many of the delays and cancellations are because of severe weather in other parts of the country, so they advise confirming the status of your flight with the airline.

As of 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, there were five canceled departures, five delayed departures, four canceled arrivals and five delayed arrivals.

Because of the storm, there are more than 105 school and business closings and delays, down from around 125 this morning. 

The storm started as a mix of snow and sleet, freezing rain until temperatures began to rise and precipitation turned over to rain.

Wednesday will bring drier weather, with perhaps a mix of clouds and sunshine. There's some question as to how much low level moisture will be left, which cloud result in more clouds and even drizzle.

Temperatures will likely be in the upper 40s come New Year's Eve with a few areas in the low 50s on the shore.