UPDATE: Malloy Bans Cars from Wilbur Cross, Merritt Parkways as Snow Pummels State

Updated 4:17 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29

Governor Dannel P. Malloy has issued an order banning non-emergency vehicles on the Wilbur Cross and Merritt Parkways.

“The storm is causing treacherous driving conditions down along the Merritt Parkway particularly, as well as on roadways across the state,” said Governor Malloy. “I am urging residents to stay off the roads and let DOT crews get out there and get the streets clear. On the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways no one should be on the roads except emergency crews.  People should stay inside at this point, we are seeing heavy snow start to impact power as well as driving.”

Updated 3:46 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29 

Connecticut Light & Power is reporting 71,059 of its 1,237,830 customers without power, or approximately 5 percent. Click here to see a full list of CL&P's power outages and track the power situation in your community. 

Original Story

OK, so all the weathermen’s predictions of a serious snowstorm hitting the area Saturday turned out not to be a dud after all.

In fact, current predictions indicate the storm could drop as much as four to eight inches of snow on the area through early Sunday morning.

The snow began locally shortly after noon Saturday, and the National Weather Service is currently predicting that between four to eight inches of snow could fall Saturday into early Sunday morning before things are all done.  

According to the weather service, Hartford and Tolland County residents should expect temperatures in the mid-30s throughout Saturday afternoon, with temperatures dropping to the low-30s Saturday evening, which could cause some freezing and icing of roads. Winds will be from 15 to about 20 miles per hour during the afternoon Saturday, but gusts could reach upwards of 40 miles per hour as of Saturday night, according to the weather service. Since the snow is thick and fluffy, officials have also been warning that it could accumulate on tree branches, possibly bringing some of them down and causing power outages throughout the area.

The snow is predicted to taper off at about 9 a.m. Sunday morning, and temperatures to climb into the mid-40s Sunday afternoon, so the snow is not likely to still be on the ground come Halloween Monday.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is reporting that Route 44 over Avon Mountain is closed due to a high number of vehicular spinouts and accidents. Manchester Community College also announced that it planned to close its campus at 3 p.m. Saturday due to the storm.

The roads are already proving quite tricky to navigate, and reports of accidents and spinouts are coming in throughout the area. Motorists are being asked to use caution on roadways and avoid travel if at all possible Saturday.

Connecticut Light & Power is reporting thousands of outages throughout the state. Click here to see CL&P's full outage map and check on the power status in your community. 

Stick with Patch throughout the storm for the latest updates and closing information.