Three counties including New London were in a blizzard warning Thursday after a westward shift pushed a hefty snowstorm away from Cape Cod, which originally was supposed to be the hardest hit.

According to Gary Lessor, assistant director of the Weather Center at Western Connecticut State University, a blizzard happens when two conditions are met: snow or blowing snow must reduce visibility to a quarter mile or less for three hours or more, and there must be sustained winds of 35 mph or greater.

Lessor said he wouldn’t have guessed early Wednesday that New London County would end up in a blizzard warning, but as the storm drew nearer, that changed.

“In the evening hours, it became obvious the storm was going to be closer to the coast and more intense,” Lessor said.

Snowfall predictions haven’t changed from Wednesday evening — the region still could see anywhere between 8 to 14 inches. It’s accumulation that will be hard to clear from roads, sidewalks and driveways as winds continue to gust up to 50 mph at times.

Lessor said the heavy snow should continue until 3 or 4 p.m. Thursday, with some lighter snow falling into the evening.