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Weather Service: Wind Gusts Up to 38 mph in Norwalk [Update]

The National Weather Service: Expect wind gusts of up to up to 38 mph today, 37 mph tonight in Norwalk.

Update 3:40 p.m.:

Expect wind gusts of up to 37 mph Tuesday in Norwalk and 38 mph Tuesday evening, the National Weather Service says in its seven-day forecast specifically for the city, posted at 3:02 p.m.

The forecast somewhat differs from the 3:35 p.m. "Hazardous Weather Outlook" that the same office of the same weather service issued for the New York metropolitan area and all of Connecticut which says winds of up to 40 mph can be expected today (an earlier version of the "outlook" forecast said winds could be as high as 45 mph, an even bigger difference from the Norwalk forecast).

Find out what's happening in Norwalkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Ignore the more widespread "outlook" forecast and follow the more specific one for Norwalk if you want to know about Norwalk's weather, meteorologist Joe Pollina of the National Weather Service's New York City office.

When the "outlook" forecast, for instance, mentions "northwest winds will gust up to 40 mph", that doesn't necessarily mean that those gusts could happen anywhere in the region covered by the forecast, he said.

Find out what's happening in Norwalkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Although differing times for updates of the seven-day local and more regional "outlook", "watch" and "warning" forecasts can account for some differences in the predictions, local conditions change the predictions, he said.

Update 10:45 a.m.:

The National Weather Service appears to be of two minds when it comes to predicting how much wind Norwalk will get this afternoon.

According to one current report, wind gusts of up to 45 mph can be expected from early afternoon and well into the night Tuesday, with the heaviest gusts occurring late afternoon through the evening, according to the National Weather Service's 3:48 a.m. update to its "Hazardous Weather Outlook"  for the New York metropolitan area and across Connecticut—including Norwalk.

However, according to the seven-day forecast specifically for Norwalk issued at 9:10 a.m., the winds are expected to gust up to only 38 mph during the day and 37 mph at night, which is below gale force. The gusts will come between west winds of 18 to 24 mph, and the temperature should drop to 27 degrees by 5 p.m. Aside from the gusts tonight, winds should be 20 to 23 mph, decreasing to somewhere between 8 and 11 mph.

A call has been placed to the National Weather Service's public affairs department to try to clear up the difference in the reports.

According to the hazardous weather outlook report, winds from the northwest will be a brisk 25 to 30 mph, when the stronger gusts aren't blowing, according to the weather service

The wind chill factor will range from about 0 degrees to -5 (that's minus five) degrees from midnight through 7 a.m. Wednesday. Similar wind chills will occur between midnight Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday, when the range is expected to be from 5 degrees to -5 degrees, according to the weather service.

There is no precipitation in the seven-day forecast, which extends into Monday.

Update 7:06 p.m., Monday:

The 3:04 p.m. National Weather Service forecast for Norwalk states wind gusts could be as high as 40 mph during the day on Tuesday and as high as 39 mph overnight Tuesday to Wednesday.

Original:

First we got snow in copious amounts. Then a combination of snow, sleet freezing rain and rain was laid on us. Now, possible wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph are Mother Nature's latest scourge predicted for the area.

But that's not all: Today the state Department of Environmental Protection issued an "Air Quality Alert", stating that "fine particulates within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards." For more information, see the department Web site.

The National Weather Service is predicting those gusts of wind on Tuesday in the New York metropolitan area and along the southern coast of Connecticut. The wind chill is predicted to make the temperature feel as low as zero degrees, and a "Hazardous Weather Outlook" has been issued.

According to the Beaufort wind scale, winds between 39-46 mph create the threat of broken tree branches and moderately large waves on the water. With such gales, even walking is difficult and cars can veer off their intended path.

The post-Christmas blizzard on Dec. 26 had wind gusts between 45-60 mph off the Long Island Sound.

The weather service's seven-day forecast for Norwalk at 11:15 a.m. forecast rain starting late Monday evening, then rain and snow, with a 90 percent chance of precipitation and a low overnight temperature of about 31 degrees. About a half inch of snow accumulation is possible overnight.

Rain and snow showers are probable before 11 a.m. Tuesday, then scattered snow showers, with the probability of precipitation at 60 percent, according to the forecast. Another half inch of snow accumulation is possible during the day. Gusts of wind may reach as high as 36 mph.

The wind should start picking up to reach 20 to 23 mph during the day, with gusts in Norwalk of up to 41 mph.


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