Update: Governor Declares Civil Preparedness Emergency

Governor Dannel Malloy has declared a civil preparedness emergency and directed that non-essential, first-shift state employees should not report to work this morning.

Pfizer's research and development site in Groton and Electric Boat were closed today, according to security.

Heavy snow continued to fall across most of the state, and winter storm warnings remained in effect statewide. The National Weather Service predicted 16 to 24 inches of snow would fall before the storm ends this evening.

The Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security issued a situation report for the state of Connecticut this morning saying that at 4:45 a.m., radar showed heavy snow falling across most of Connecticut.   The low pressure system located southeast of Long Island at 5:00 a.m. was expected to move northeast and towards Cape Cod during the morning.

Snowfall totals across the state range from 11 to  17 inches, falling at a rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour, the update said.

Temperatures were forecast to stay in the mid 20s during the mid morning, with north winds increasing to 20 to 30 mph, causing blowing and drifting snow. Snowfall intensity would drop to moderate by late morning, the update said.

Groton Schools were closed and the following town meetings scheduled for Wednesday evening were canceled: Representative Town Meeting, Zoning Board of Appeals, Inland Wetlands Agency and Community Development Advisory Committee.

Parks and Recreation programs were also canceled. The Naval Submarine Base New London was closed. The Coast Guard Academy was also closed.

"This will be the biggest storm we've seen in a long time, I do believe," said Nicki Bresnyan, executive assistant to the Groton town manager.