Category Archives: Weather

Stefan Hard / Staff Photo
Justin and Joanne Page and their daughter, Aleah, 5, boil sap Sunday evening in the tiny sugarhouse owned by Ronald page on Route 110 in Washington. The Pages tap just under 100 trees and make about 15 gallons of syrup on a good year.

There’s a flood watch out across most of Vermont - the part south of Route 2 - due to rain and melting snow. We’re looking at warm weather to the weekend, when it will likely cool back down to more seasonal temperatures.

Today: Rain, tapering to scattered showers late in the day. Highs 46-51. South wind 10-15 mph with a few gusts to 30 mph over the Greens through midday, diminishing to less than 10 mph by early afternoon, light and variable by late afternoon.

Tonight: Scattered rain showers tapering to a few wet snow showers before ending. Partial clearing late. Lows near 30. Wind shifting to West 10 mph or less.
Wednesday:  Partly cloudy. Slight chance for late PM rain or wet snow showers. Highs 40-45. West to southwest wind 5-15 mph.

Extended Forecast:
Wednesday Nt: Becoming mostly cloudy, isolated snow showers. Lows 20-25.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy, breezy, chilly, widely scattered snow showers or flurries. Highs 30-35.
Thursday Nt: Decreasing clouds, widely scattered evening flurries. Lows 15-20.
Friday: Mostly sunny, breezy. Highs 32-37.
Friday Nt: Becoming mostly cloudy. Slight chance for flurries. Lows 20-25.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy, chance for wet snow showers. Highs 35-40.

Forecast Discussion:
A dilatory, wavy cold front just reaching the western Adirondacks as of mid-morning will wiggle eastward today, preceded by a swath of rain.  It looks like a moderate rainfall is in the works: somewhere between .40” and .80” with local 1.00+ amounts along the spine of the Green Mountains will likely fall before steady rain tapers to showers west of the Connecticut Valley towards sunset, and over New Hampshire early tonight with the passage of the front. There may be a few wet snow showers before all activity ceases later tonight.  Tomorrow, a slot of dry air and narrow surface ridging should provide at least some breaks in the overcast if not a period of partly sunny conditions before the upper level trough lagging the surface cold front approaches with its own batch of moisture.  By then, the temperature aloft and at the surface will be cold enough to support snow showers. These will continue on and off through Thursday—mainly over mountainous terrain of northern Vermont-as the trough deepens over us, a surface LOW strengthens over New Brunswick, and a cyclonically curved northwest flow increases.  The much above normal temperatures will be replaced with readings at or below seasonal norms for the second half of the week through the weekend.

Mark Collier / Staff Photo
Warm temperatures and beautiful weather made for melting snow and muddy Lower Road between Barre and Plainfield Saturday. The brilliant light of the sun reflecting off the road turned the vehicles inching their way along into surreal silhouettes,

There was sap running all over the place over the weekend, and skiers were flocking to the fast-melting snow for beautiful sun on both days. There wasn’t a table to be had before 9 p.m. at a restaurant in Rutland without a reservation; spring has staked its claim. Mud season is also here, but don’t get too comfortable - March still has some tricks up its sleeve, no doubt, and we’re not out of this winter yet.

Today: Mostly cloudy, breezy, quite mild. Highs 49-54. South wind freshening to 10-20 mph with a few gusts to 30 mph.

Tonight: Cloudy. Rain developing well after midnight. Lows 35-40. South wind 10-15 mph with a few gusts to 25 mph over high terrain.
Tuesday:  Rain. Highs 43-46. South wind 10-15 mph with a few higher gusts over high terrain.

Extended Forecast:
Tuesday Nt: Rain, ending as snow showers. Lows near 30.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. A good chance for snow showers—especially PM. Highs 35-40.
Wednesday Nt: Mostly cloudy, scattered snow showers. Lows 18-23.
Thursday: Variable clouds, breezy, chilly, scattered snow showers or flurries. Highs 25-30.
Thursday Nt: Partly cloudy, scattered flurries. Lows in the 10s.
Friday: Partly sunny, widely scattered flurries. Highs 26-31.

Forecast Discussion:
The strong high pressure ridge that provided a fabulous start to meteorological spring is now off the coast.  A brisk southerly flow between it and a slowly advancing wavy cold front over the Ohio Valley will continue to pump unseasonably mild air over us through tomorrow morning. We’ll stay dry today, despite considerable high and patchy mid-level clouds.  Rain with the cold front probably won’t arrive until after 3 a.m. tomorrow, but once here, will continue throughout the day.  At this point, it looks like a moderate event, with somewhere between .40 and .80” of rain—locally 1.00”+ over the southern Green Mountains. The cold front will wiggle through during Tuesday evening, with rain changing to snow showers and some light accumulation possible over the Green Mountains.  The second half of the week will be considerably chillier.

Jeb Wallace-Brodeur / Staff Photo
Jeremy Levine of Crescent Moon Landscaping in Barre Town prunes one of more than 300 apple trees at Windy Wood Orchard in Barre Town on Wednesday afternoon.

There’s been talk of a storm heading our way, but it looks like the worst of it will head off south along the coast. Vermont is under a Hazardous Weather Outlook, though, for the entire state, with Bennington and Windham counties having a higher probability of more snow. The totals are not expected to exceed 4 inches, but road conditions could be nasty, as this could be a mix of rain and snow.

So, welcome to March!

Today: Mostly cloudy with periods of light snow and/or light rain. Highs 35 to 39. Northeast winds 5 to 15 mph, becoming north.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Mostly cloudy with periods of light snow, possibly mixed with rain in the evening. Lows around 25. Winds continued north 5 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow: A chance of light snow or rain showers in the morning, then partial clearing with highs in the low to mid 40s. Winds out of the northeast at 5 to 10 mph.

Extended Forecast:
Friday Night: Becoming mostly clear. Lows 21 to 25. Winds light and variable.
Saturday: Mostly sunny and warmer. Highs 43 to 47.
Saturday Night: Mainly clear. Lows 24 to 28.
Sunday: Becoming partly cloudy by afternoon. Highs 43 to 47.
Sunday Night: Becoming mostly cloudy. Scattered rain or snow showers. Lows 30 to 34.
Monday: Mostly cloudy. Scattered rain showers, possibly mixed with snow in the morning. Highs 41 to 45.

Forecast Discussion:
A surface low over the ocean, well southeast of Cape Cod this morning, will nonetheless be the major influence over the region’s weather today and tonight. The north side of the storm’s circulation will direct easterly winds at the region. The air that gets carried in on these winds will have a relatively high moisture content. So even though we’re on the periphery of this system, it remains a substantial moisture source. Late today and tonight we’ll also be on the periphery of an upper-level disturbance diving through western New York from the northern Great Lakes, but energy from this upper-level feature could combine with the moisture-rich air coming off the ocean to provide some periods of precipitation – generally light, in the valleys – through the overnight hours. This activity is unlikely to drop any more than a couple of inches of wet snow in the valleys by tomorrow morning, perhaps as much as four inches along the east-facing slopes of the mountains. The regime will then transition toward fair weather on Friday, with a few lingering rain or snow showers scattering out during the morning, before skies begin to clear.

Anthony Edwards / Staff Photo
Sap buckets outside of Sugar and Spice restaurant in Mendon on Sunday afternoon show that sugarmakers are getting ready for the season.

It’s about to start looking like sugaring weather, with cold nights and warmer days, although that won’t get here till the end of the week. Today we’ll likely see the same intermittent snow showers that we’ve had over the last few days, with some light winds. Talk around town has shifted to wishing for snow to ‘well, I might just be ready for spring.’ ‘Yup.’

Today: Cloudy. Hilltop snow showers likely. Scattered valley snow showers or flurries. Highs 29-34 north; 32-38 south. Northwest wind 5-15 mph.  Snow accumulation of a trace to an inch.

Tonight: Cloudy. Scattered, diminishing flurries. Lows 22-26. Northwest wind less than 10 mph.
Tuesday:  Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered flurries or sprinkles. Highs 37-42. N-NE wind 5-15 mph.

Extended Forecast:
Tuesday Nt: Mostly cloudy. Lows 25-28.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance for drizzle. Highs 37-42.
Wednesday Nt: Partly cloudy. Lows 26-30.
Thursday: Partly to mostly sunny. Highs 36-41.
Thursday Nt: Fair. Lows in the 20s.
Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs 40-45.

Forecast Discussion:
Low pressure stacked through a deep layer in the atmosphere is centered just south of the Bay of Fundy this morning. It’s been responsible for the clouds and periodic snow showers and flurries throughout the weekend, and will give us one more day of the same before starting to pull out to sea tonight, then accelerating to the east tomorrow.  High pressure over central Quebec will edge southward in its wake and slowly dry out the atmosphere. Some low-level maritime moisture will hang around through Wednesday due to a developing easterly flow between the high and a new storm that’ll bring heavy rain or heavy wet snow to the mid-Atlantic on Wednesday. Later in the week as the flow becomes more northerly, the low levels will finally dry out and the rapidly strengthening March sun will go to work, pushing afternoon temperatures into the low 40s from Thursday through Sunday.  Overnight lows will drop into the 20s.  Sounds like good sugaring weather for the last half of the week!

Adam Caira / Staff Photo
Justin Miller of the Bragg Farm Sugar House hangs sap buckets on a sugar maple along Hammett Hill Road in East Montpelier on Wednesday, Feb. 27. “It’s still cold” says Bragg, but with recent warmer temperatures the start of sugaring season is getting close.

The snow is predicted to continue off and on today, as a low pressure system will continue to bring moist, cold air down into Vermont, until the middle of next week. The snow might turn to rain in the valleys in the afternoon, so be careful driving. Several areas of the state have accumulated significant snow, according to spotter reports: parts of Ludlow have seen nearly 17 inches in 29 hours; Killington got 14 inches and Jay Peak 10 inches.

Today: Cloudy with scattered to numerous snow showers, possibly mixing with rain in the valleys during the afternoon. Highs 34 to 38. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy with scattered to numerous snow showers. Lows 23 to 27. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow: Cloudy with scattered snow showers, possibly mixed with rain in the valleys and becoming more numerous late. Highs 33 to 37. Winds continued northwest at 5 to 10 mph.

Extended Forecast:
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with scattered to numerous snow showers. Lows 15 to 19.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Widely scattered snow showers becoming more numerous late. Highs 29 to 33.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with numerous snow showers. Lows 16 to 20.
Monday: Mostly cloudy. Scattered to numerous snow/rain showers. Highs 30 to 34.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy with widely scattered snow showers. Lows 20 to 24.
Tuesday: Mostly to partly cloudy. Highs 33 to 37.

Forecast Discussion:
A very large and slow-moving upper level low will hover above the region, or least close enough to strongly influence our weather, right into the middle of next week. Related to this upper level feature will be low pressure at the surface, becoming centered just offshore of the Canadian Maritime Provinces over the weekend. Counterclockwise circulation around this low will bring a steady and relatively moist northerly flow into the region, resulting in persistent snow showers in the mountains, as well as on-again, off-again snow showers that are sometimes mixed with rain in the valleys, primarily during the afternoon and early evening hours. Whatever mix is going on in the valleys should change back over to all snow at night. And this will be, with minor day-to-day variations, the overall weather pattern for the next several days: Mostly cloudy, precipitation that usually scattered and showery, and valley highs in the mid 30s. Not much end to this pattern in sight until a broad upper-level trough over the eastern U.S. gives way to some ridging, and that probably won’t happen until late in the coming work week.

Depending on where you are, you may be waking up to snow… or to brown earth. This latest storm has been highly variable; yesterday there were blizzard conditions at Sherburne Pass near Killington, while there was barely a trace of snow down in Rutland, and even that was melted away by rain overnight.

The highest total I see on spotter reports is 11 inches at 1800 feet in Ludlow; Killington is reporting 9 inches and Danville up north has 8 inches; North Calais is reporting 5 inches of snow. The snow or rain is forecast to continue today.

Today: Cloudy. Snow showers mixed with rain showers. Highs near 40. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming light from the northeast.

Tonight: Any rain/snow mix changing to scattered snow showers by around midnight. Lows around 25. Light north winds.

Tomorrow: Cloudy with scattered snow showers, possibly mixing with rain at times. Highs 33 to 37. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Extended Forecast:
Friday Night: Scattered snow showers. Lows 22 to 26.
Saturday: Cloudy with scattered snow showers. Highs 29 to 33.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with widely scattered snow showers. Lows 15 to 19.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Highs 27 to 31.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows 16 to 20.
Monday: Mostly cloudy. Scattered snow showers. Highs 30 to 34.

Forecast Discussion:
The large upper-level low, now centered over western New York, continues to drift toward the northeast, as does its counterpart at the surface. These upper-level and surface features are nearly aligned in the vertical, and are not moving very quickly. A few periods of steadier precipitation will be possible with this system, through about mid-afternoon, but after that little more than scattered snow showers will be likely over the mountains, and scattered showers of rain and/or snow at lower elevations. Any mix of rain and snow should change over to snow showers in the valleys by around midnight, with scattered snow showers continuing overnight. The presence of the upper-level low will keep the seesaw of precipitation types going, with more showers of rain and snow on tap for tomorrow. As the surface low moves into the Canadian Maritimes over the weekend, northerly flow around the back side of it should bring in enough cold air to make any showers over the weekend all snow. No significant precipitation is currently expected for the weekend, although some snow showers will still be scattered about, especially in the mountains.

Stefan Hard / Staff Photo
Elise Andrea dusts an overnight coating of snow of the cap of a snowman Monday that she and her five-year-old neice, Alle Christian, made Sunday outside Andrea’s home in Williamstown.

Today will be just over 11 hours long. Spring is 21 days away, and it’s a little more than 2 weeks until the NCAA Basketball tournament. Spring is on the way, but winter is still hanging around - we’re looking at a few more days of snow and wintry mix, with the likelihood of some nasty driving off and on into the weekend.

Today: Partly sunny. Highs 35-40.  Light, variable wind becoming SE 10 mph or less during the PM.

Tonight: Increasing clouds. Snow around midnight, may mix with sleet or freezing rain immediately west of the Green Mountains in downslope areas. Lows 26-32. SE wind 10-20 mph with a few gusts 30-40 mph over high terrain to 30 mph late.
Wednesday:  Breezy to windy. Wet snow over the Greens; snow mixed with rain on valley floors east of the Greens, and snow may change to light rain showers west of the Greens in downslope areas. Highs 33-37 over and east of the Greens; 36-41 west of the Greens. E-SE wind 10-20 mph with a few gusts over 30 mph. Possible snow accumulation 4-8” over the Greens, and 1-4” at lower elevations.

Wednesday Nt: Periods of snow, or mixed precipitation changing to snow. Gradually decreasing wind. Lows 25-30. Light to moderate accumulation possible, especially over higher elevations.
Thursday: Snow showers—mixed with rain on valley floors. Highs 33-38.
Thursday Nt: Snow showers likely. Lows 25-30.
Friday: Snow showers likely. Highs 33-38.
Friday Nt: Mostly cloudy. Scattered snow showers. Lows 25-28.
Saturday: Partly to mostly cloudy, scattered snow showers. Highs 30-35.

Forecast Discussion:

HIGH pressure is overhead this morning, and will remain in control of the weather through much of this upcoming night.  Light wind and a subsidence inversion will continue to trap moisture in the lower layers of the atmosphere, so only party sunny skies are expected today.  Well to our southwest this morning strong LOW pressure along the Missouri-Arkansas border is spreading a large swath of rain and snow from Georgia and the Carolinas west-northwest across the Ohio Valley all the way to southern Iowa and far eastern Kansas.  This is a big storm; it’ll move to Toledo by tomorrow morning, with a coastal redevelopment near Philadelphia.  A band of snow lifting northward from the lows will move into southern Vermont and New Hampshire around midnight, and should reach here between breakfast time and 9 a.m. Wednesday.  Once here, the storm will stick around for a while as it runs into a blocking ridge over the North Atlantic.  It won’t be until Saturday that we begin to break free from its influence. Temperatures will run above normal throughout the period, especially at night, given the expected onshore flow.

Stefan Hard / Staff Photo
A lone snowmobiler heads into a dense conifer forest on a VAST trail Sunday in Washington.

The snow difference is stark depending on where you are in Vermont. The Rutland area has almost no snow in the valleys; up on the mountain it looks like a normal winter; to the northeast there’s snow and on the eastern slopes of the Greens there’s tons of it, especially up in the far north. That makes for a confusing time, in some ways, where the weather forecast may or may not apply, depending on which valley you’re in or hill you’re on. So, when the forecast now says “snow”,  what to make of it? I guess we’ve got to take them at their word…

Today: Mostly cloudy north; sunny south.  Scattered snow showers or flurries. Highs 32-40.  Northwest wind less than 10 mph.

Tuesday:  Partly sunny. Highs 35-40.  Light, variable wind becoming SE 10 mph or less during the PM.

Extended Forecast:

Tuesday Nt: Clouding over. Becoming breezy to windy from the SE. Snow developing after midnight. Lows 25-32.
Wednesday: Breezy to windy. Snow, mixed with rain on valley floors, becoming showery during the PM. Highs 34-39.
Wednesday Nt: Showers of snow or mixed rain/snow. Lows 28-33.
Thursday: Snow showers. Highs 34-39.
Thursday Nt: Snow showers likely. Lows 26-31.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, good chance for snow showers. Highs in the mid 30s.

Forecast Discussion:

Weak surface HIGH pressure is building overhead in the wake of the complex LOW pressure and a surface trough that brought 2-7” of snow to eastern Vermont and a coating to 3” to the western half of the state. But with light winds through the lower atmosphere, it will be difficult to mix residual moisture out, and partial to considerable cloudiness should prevail both today and tonight.  Quiet weather will continue tomorrow, but beyond that, a strong and complex storm system will affect us for an extended period.  Precipitation ahead of the system will arrive before daybreak Wednesday.  Multiple bursts of snow or mixed snow and rain will follow from Wednesday through Friday, with snow showers possibly lingering through the weekend. Total snow accumulation could be substantial, especially in those higher terrain areas that benefit from strong and prolonged east to southeast flow, such as the southern Green Mountains, and the Orange Heights. There will likely be well-defined snow shadows along the floors of the Connecticut and lower Passumpsic Valleys, and possibly along the western slopes of the Green Mountains. Temperatures during that period will run above normal thanks to the combination of clouds and an onshore flow.