Saturday’s Snowstorm Made Driving in Connecticut a Nightmare

According to CT Insider, more than 100 crashes were reported across Connecticut following Saturday’s snowstorm — and let me be the first to say… yep, that checks out.

I didn’t end up in a crash, but the potential was absolutely there. I also happened to be out driving at just about the worst possible time. At 12:10 p.m., I left my house in Danbury to head to my parents’ place in Brewster, New York, which is barely over the state line. Under normal conditions, it’s a nine-minute drive. On this day, it took me nearly an hour.

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Here’s how I ended up in that situation in the first place. It was my nephew Charlie’s birthday, and my sister Katy was not canceling the party under any circumstances. Snowstorm or not, that meant everyone we know and love was officially committed to making the journey. Against my better judgment — and with very little faith in the driving abilities of my loved ones — we all headed out into the elements. Spoiler alert: everyone survived.

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The timing couldn’t have been worse. The snow was just starting to let up, but road crews hadn’t really gotten into the heavy lifting yet. The result was a mess — slick roads, poor visibility, and conditions that made every turn feel like a calculated risk.

As if that wasn’t enough, I decided to make things harder on myself. There were multiple ways I could have driven to my parents’ house, but I intentionally chose the toughest route, purely to see if I could handle it. That meant taking “the back way,” which included Jeanette Street in Danbury. If you know, you know. It’s basically a straight downhill drop with just enough curve to make it terrifying on a good day. On an unpaved, snow-covered road? Absolute nightmare.

That stretch ended up being the longest part of the entire drive. It took me almost ten minutes to get down a road that normally flies by. I crawled along as slowly as the car would allow and still had a few white-knuckle moments, especially when encountering other brave (or questionable) adventurers attempting the same route.

Next time, I think I’ll skip the self-imposed driving challenges during a snowstorm. I may even suggest rescheduling birthday parties — we’ll see how that goes. Until then, stay safe out there, my friends.