The impact of a storm slated to begin Wednesday night — which has put most of the state under a winter weather warning — will hinge more upon the winds it brings than the snowfall it dumps.

That’s according to meteorologist Gary Lessor and the local officials who spent Wednesday preparing for the storm, which is slated to leave between 7 and 12 inches across the eastern half of the state.

“Power is the key,” said East Lyme Public Safety Director Richard Morris. “If the power stays on, this should be pretty effortless. If the power starts going off, then it will be a different situation.”

According to Lessor, the precipitation should begin around midnight and likely won't stop until sometime between 6 and 9 p.m. Thursday. When all is said and done, some inland spots could see as much as 14 inches of snow. Schools across the region are expected to be closed Thursday.

Lessor said Thursday the storm will bring wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph while Friday will be only slightly better, with gusts between 35 and 45 mph. It will be enough to take down branches and damage trees, he said, and could result in "serious outages."

Despite a high of close to 30 Thursday, Lessor added, the region will plunge back into a frigid state beginning Friday. Over the weekend, temperatures could be as low as -10 in some places.

"Thursday through Sunday is going to be brutal," said Lessor, who is the assistant director of the Weather Center at Western Connecticut State University. "Then things will improve early next week."

Morris said the key players in East Lyme were in touch throughout the day Wednesday assessing the situation. Importantly, he said, they prepared a multi-jurisdictional shelter to be staffed and opened should significant power outages occur. The shelter, when open, is available to residents of East Lyme, Old Lyme, Lyme, Waterford, New London and Montville.

In the meantime, Morris said, the town will have a small space available at the community center for those who need shelter.

East Lyme Police Chief Mike Finkelstein said a concern of his is how the high winds and heavy snowfall could make for miserable driving conditions. Friday’s extreme cold — the low is forecast to be below zero — could only hinder cleanup efforts, he added.

“Do what you can to stay off the roads and let public works and the (state Department of Transportation) remove snow and get the roads in a safe condition,” Finkelstein advised. “It’s difficult to plow roads while you’re also dodging traffic.”

It will be the first major snowstorm for the police department since it became independent in July. But Finkelstein said the response shouldn’t be much different from what the force did under the resident state trooper program.

“It’s just making sure we have the right levels of manpower,” he said.

In Ledyard, police Chief John Rich said his force will operate with higher-than-usual staffing levels for the duration of the storm.

Full of winding back roads, the town frequently sees high numbers of crashes during snowstorms. If someone gets stranded or otherwise needs help, Rich explained, he wants a patrol officer to be accessible.

“The temperatures are going to be threatening to health and well-being,” he said. “We’re going to try to get to anybody who’s in need as soon as possible.”

Rich said he’s hoping the storm’s winds don’t knock down as many trees and wires as the late October storm that left much of Ledyard without power for days.

“With the power outages, we’ll deal with those as they come,” he said.

In a Wednesday evening email, Eversource said it was “ready for the first snowstorm of the year.” The company has line workers, tree crews and support staff prepared to respond, the email said.

As early as noon Wednesday, weather-related parking bans and closures began rolling in. Head to www.theday.com/section/closures to get the latest updates.

Thursday’s snowstorm only will compound issues residents already are facing after weeks of unusually frigid temperatures.

Norwich building, housing and health inspectors, for example, said their phones have been ringing off the hook with complaints about frozen pipes and broken pipes and apartments and houses with no heat.

“I couldn’t even give a number on it,” said Dan Coley, Norwich blight control/housing code enforcement official. “As soon as I hang up the phone, I get another call.”

City Director of Inspections James Troeger spent part of his New Year’s holiday weekend responding to similar emergency calls that came to city police or fire departments. Uncas Health District Director Patrick McCormack said he is getting calls “every five minutes.”

Coley said residents with water pipes in exterior walls should keep their thermostats set at no lower than 60 degrees. They also should keep kitchen cabinet doors open to ensure heat is reaching the walls where pipes are located.

Residents using space heaters should exercise caution and, for safety reasons, should avoid using the oven to heat a room.

City officials on Thursday will be in contact with federal and state officials tracking the storm and will activate the city’s emergency operation center at NPU headquarters at 16 S. Golden St. if necessary.

Day Staff Writer Claire Bessette contributed to this report.

l.boyle@theday.com