Residents in Guilford woke up to snow billowing down from the sky, with weather stations saying the worst of the storm won't arrive until later Friday afternoon into the night. Gov. Dannel Malloy has announced the possibility of state highways closures as soon as noon (see below).

In anticipation of the storm, Guilford Public Schools announced on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 7, that all schools will be closed today, Friday, February 8. All before school, after school, and evening activities are cancelled as well.

Guilford Public Schools Administrative Offices closed at 10 a.m. and school buildings will be closed throughout Sunday, February 10 in light of the storm. The Positive Coaching Workshop, which was reported in the February 7 edition of the Guilford Courier, has been rescheduled from Saturday, February 9 to Saturday, March 2 at Guilford High School.

The town of Guilford has currently issued its "Overnight Parking Ban." According to information on the town's website, "there is no on-street parking between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. or whenever snow removal operations are in progress. Vehicles in violation may be tagged and towed." It is also noted that if you have a fire hydrant in front of your home, the Guilford Fire Department requested you keep it clear of snow.

Governor to Declare State of Emergency, Roads Subject to Closure Beginning at NoonPress release from Governor Dannel P. Malloy

Governor Dannel P. Malloy will declare a state of emergency in preparation for the coming blizzard which is anticipated to heavily impact the state Friday and Saturday. In addition, the governor announced that limited access highways may be subject to closure as early as noon. The governor is asking all residents to limit nonessential travel.

"People need to take this storm seriously. If current predictions are accurate, we will need people to stay off the roads so that emergency personnel and utility crews can get to the places they need to get to, and to make sure that our plows can keep critical roadways clear," Governor Malloy said. "Please stay home once the weather gets bad except in the case of real emergency."

A Declaration of Emergency provides the governor with a number of emergency powers, including:

• The ability to modify or suspend any state statute, regulation, or requirement (for example: altering work hours, waiving licensing requirements, etc.)

• The ability to order civil preparedness forces into action

• The ability to designate vehicle and person routes and movements