Big Rain Totals From Downpours, Thunderstorms Northern Vermont, Less South. But Wild Weather, Including Snow Still In Forecast

The wettest storm of the year so far in St. Albans, Vermont
with a storm total of 3.12 inches. Some impressive totals'
in northern Vermont. More rain coming Friday, and 
it's still looking like we'll have at least snow flakes 
in the air for Saturday. 

If you like wet and stormy days, you probably had a great time yesterday, especially in you were in the northern half of Vermont. 

The day and evening were filled with rain, heavy at times, locally gusty winds, and in many places, thunderstorms, especially in the evening. 

I don't have a full run down of rainfall yet, that will come later this morning. But some of the totals are impressive. 

I have one unofficial report of 4.25 inches in Georgia. It seems everywhere else had less, but in some cases not by much.  My rain gauge in St. Albans caught a storm total of 3.12 inches. As of 5 p.m. yesterday Fairfax reported 2.14 inches and Westford 1.94 inches. But that was before another band of heavy rain moved through. 

I'm sure we'll see some other impressive rain totals from northwest Vermont in particular as more information arrives 

Montpelier had 1.52 inches of rain Tuesday, breaking the rainfall record for the date by 0.79 inches. Across the pond, Plattsburgh was deluged by 2.56 inches of rain. 

As you move south, rainfall began to diminish, as expected. Burlington received a respectable 1.31 inches. It was a stormy day there, too, as winds gusted as high as 45 mph. 

Further south, Rutland had 0.7 inches of rain and Bennington just 0.07 inches. 

Exciting weather isn't over quite yet in Vermont as we have more heavy rain, more strong winds, very cold temperatures, and yes, snow on the way.

Let's break it down: 

TODAY

The calm after the storm.  Early today, temperatures were still weird as early morning readings were in the upper 40s north but still in the low and mid 60s south. Not all the fronts have cleared through yet, but that will happen as the morning goes on. 

Which means temperatures will even out. In the north, it will stay cloudy, so highs today will be in the 50s to near 60. Party sunny skies south will bring temperatures into the mid and upper 60s. Nice and mild. 

Lingering drizzle in the north this morning should dry out somewhat by afternoon. 

THURSDAY

Chillier as a brief incursion of cool air comes in from Quebec. It will still be the pick of the week, with sunshine, and crisp air. Highs should make it into the low 50s after a potentially frosty morning in spots. The morning cold will be nothing compared to what's coming this weekend. 

FRIDAY

Another windy, rainy storm - a real foliage stripper. It'll be another strong storm, probably heading down the St. Lawrence River Valley toward Montreal during the day. It won't rain as hard as it did yesterday, but many places in Vermont can expect more than a half inch of rain, 

 Some places could get another inch of rain. The National Weather Service says parts of the Champlain Valley night see a little less rain than everybody else. Strong southwesterly winds mean the Adirondacks will block some of the moisture.  As a cold front comes in Friday night, it will turn sharply colder. Rain will change to snow in the high elevations toward morning. 

SATURDAY

A real taste of winter. As the National Weather Service in South Burlington put it, well have a race between how fast the cold air comes in versus how fast the dry air arrives. That will determine who gets snow, and how much. 

It's possible the Champlain Valley could see a few flakes early in the day. Much of the rest of Vermont outside southern valleys will also see at least a few snow flurries. A dusting could accumulate, mostly at elevations above 1,000 feet. The summits could see two or three inches of snow. '

It will truly be a wintry day. Most places will be below freezing to start the day, and only rise into the 30s to near 40 for highs. That's typical of early December, not mid-October. Strong northwest winds will make it feel much colder.

Although this storm will be a foliage stripper, there probably will be a few leaves left to contrast with white mountain summits. Or, a dusting of snow on landscapes with some colorful trees could make for some beautiful photos. Classic Vermont snoliage. 

Winds will diminish somewhat Saturday night, but we'll go below freezing again. 

SUNDAY

The start of a warming trend, though we're starting from a point that can't be much colder this time of year. By afternoon Sunday, it should be up near 50 degrees under sunny skies. That's still cool for this time of year, but still, it'll feel nice after Saturday, especially since the wind will be lighter

NEXT WEEK

After the weather excitement this week, we have much more reasonable, calmer weather in store. Temperatures will be near normal, or even slightly warmer than normal on some days, and the weather should stay pretty dry. It'll be a nice Indian summer-ish break from the cold weather this weekend. 

 

Tropical Storm Rachel Harasses Southwest, Powerful Hurricane Slams Mexico

Homes in Long Beach, California, battered by days
or waves generated by offshore hurricanes are 
crumbling under the assault. Photo via Facebook
from Storm Chaser Jordan Hall

 California and the southwestern United States are still picking up the mess left by Tropical Storms Rachel, which Hurricane Simon continuous to trash the Mexican west coast.  

The two storms are causing additional damage in a summer and autumn that has produced a lot of tropical trouble on the Pacific side of North America.

RACHEL

Tropical Storm Rachel is long gone now, having fed a storm in northern New York and New England that dumped heavy rains Tuesday. 

 Rachel started harassing California several days ago when the storm was still offshore. 

A Kelvin wave has elevated sea levels along the coast. Then, huge waves from then-Tropical Storm Rachel created more destruction Thursday night and Friday. 

The most damage occurred in on Long Beach Peninsula. The boardwalk there and homes lining the boardwalk, were damaged in previous storms this year.

By Saturday night, the century-old Long Beach boardwalk was almost completely in ruins and homes along that boardwalk were beginning to crumble. 

Per ABC7 in Los Angeles:

"At least eight buildings, including some condos and apartments, have been red-tagged. Another property has been yellow tagged.

One home appeared severely damage and at risk of falling into the ocean."

A home that is red tagged means the house is unsafe for occupation and nobody should enter them until repairs make the structure safe. 

Video showed the buildings cracked and sagging, threatening to collapse, as waves continued to batter and undermine the structures over the weekend .

The Long Beach Marathon went on as scheduled Sunday, but had to be rerouted away from the beach due to storm damage and coastal flooding. Elsewhere along the coast, homes on Dana Point were also damaged by waves.

A large crack appeared on an embankment separating the Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach.  The crack was narrow in a video taken yesterday, but was much wider today 

The storm dumped heavy rain on far southern California. 

Southern California seldom gets much rain in October, But several stations, especially in the mountain Palomar and Birch Hill, at elevations of over 5,300 feet elevation each had a little more than 3.8 inches of rain. 

In coastal communities, Carlsbad had 1.65 inches, Oceanside had 1.55, and National City had 1.29 inches. San Diego itself has had 0.84 inches so far.  Three quarters of an inch fell just on Saturday. Normal for San Diego for the entire month of October is just a half inch. 

On top of all this, little or no rain fell north of Las Angeles. Gusty winds from the storm helped spread a growing brush fire in Santa Clarita. The fire burned 475 acres and forced evacuations, but it has since calmed down and residents have returned home. 

 Meanwhile, gusty winds and flash flooding harassed Arizona, Utah, Nevada and southwest Colorado. 

In Utah, about 70 runners Sunday in Utah's Moab 240 ultramarathon were evacuated from the race route after they were stranded by flooding.  None of the athletes were injured. 

The event was ultimately canceled. "The weather has become too dangerous to safely continue - we've received reports of aid station structures blowing away, trees falling down, wind, rain, freezing temps - and we're expecting conditions to get worse tonight."

A major route through Cottonwood Canyon, Utah was closed by flooding, too. A little over an inch of rain fell in Las Vegas, causing flash flooding that stranded cars and blocked roads. 

HURRICANE SIMON

Powerful Hurricane Simon has been torturing the west coast of Mexico over the past few days. 

It's been moving northwestward, parallel to the Mexican coast since at least Sunday. Top winds were 150 mph on Sunday. 

Winds with Simon had decreased to 90 mph.  The hurricane has been close enough to the Mexican coast to.cause battering waves and torrential rains. Tropical storm Rachel and Hurricane Simon have so far teamed up to kill 5 people in Mexico. 

The hurricane was meandering very slowly Wednesday with a somewhat unpredictable path. Current projections have it going into the Gulf of California later this week.  

 

A Soaking Rain Greets Vermont Today, Helps With Drought, Maybe Thunder, Too. Snow Still In The Forecast

Rainfall prediction map from the National Weather Service
in South Burlington. Yellow areas are expected to have at
least 1.5 inches of rain from our current storm. As little
as a quarter inch will all near the Massachusetts border.

Today's weather in Vermont, especially in the  northern half of the state is as wet and soggy and miserable as it can get. 

In other words, delightful. Here's why.  Moderate drought is still going on in northeastern Vermont. 

The rest of northern and central Vermont were abnormally dry. Today's storm won't necessarily get rid of the drought. But it will help. Greatly. 

TODAY'S RAIN

This storm is much wetter than we thought it would be several days ago. By the time it's over tonight, more than an inch will fall on the dry and drought areas of Vermont. Some towns will see more than two inches. 

And it's the perfect soaking too. Instead of a torrential downpour lasting an hour, that mostly runs off, this will be a day long affair. Light rain started last night, and started intensifying after dawn. 

A cold front has stalled across the region, and a storm is riding eastward along it. The storm, as we mentioned yesterday, scooped up some moisture and energy from Tropical Storm Rachel which originated way over in the Pacific Ocean. The result is a lot of rain. 

Rain will come down moderately to heavy at times all day.

Areas along and north of Route 2 could have storm totals of between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts in the mountains. Central Vermont could have an inch of rain, with far southern Vermont only receiving a half inch. 

We often see a flood watch with this amount of rain. But the ground is so dry, and river levels are so low that we'll be fine through this storm. 

The storm is pretty dynamic, so we might hear a rumble of thunder or two, especially in the late afternoon and evening. 

We have another thing going on today that reminds me of winter. Cold high pressure in eastern Canada is creating easterly winds that will keep areas east of the Green Mountains chilly. This is a common set up in the winter, the kind of weather that causes sleet and freezing rain east of the Greens. 

No freezing rain today, but towns was of the Greens should hold in the 40s today. West of the Green Mountains, it will still be chilly, but it'll still manage to get in the 50s. But it will feel pretty stormy at times in the Champlain Valley, gusty winds from the south will accompany the rain. 

The rain will continue into tonight, then taper off late. 

WEDNESDAY

It'll be breezy and chilly, typical October as the storm heads away into southeastern Canada. Skies will be mostly cloudy, with a little more sun in southern valleys. 

Highs will be in the 50s.

THURSDAY

Pick of the week. Cool with sunshine. North winds will have increased further. Highs will be within a few degrees either side of 50 north, and in the 50s north. Chilly but nice.

FRIDAY/SATURDAY

Another dynamic storm comes our way. This will be a foliage stripper, with wind and rain arriving Thursday nigh and continuing well into Friday. The cold front with this storm will be strong, and temperatures will crash Friday night. 

Rain will change to snow on mountain summits, and some flakes will probably make it into valley floors, especially away from Lake Champlain. 

Saturday will be a classic November day, nothing like October. It'll be really windy, with strong gusts from the northwest. Highs should stay in the 30s to around 40 north, and in the low 40s south. 

I guess whatever leaves on the trees will create some "snoliage" scenes. Elevations above 1,500 might have a dusting of snow on the ground. Summits could have a few inches.  If there are breaks of sun in the clouds during the afternoon, it could be quite beautiful. 

Dig your winter gear out. You'll need it on Saturday. 

SUNDAY AND BEYOND

Luckily, this cold blast will be brief. Sunday will still be quite chilly for this time of year, with highs in the 40s. But the sun will be out and winds will be lighter. The rest of next week will be generally dry with seasonable temperatures. That means highs in the 50s to around 60.

A Little Isaias Rain Overnight, Much More Needed Rain In Vermont Tomorrow. First Snow Flurries Saturday?

Current forecast for rain late tonight through Wednesday
morning. More than an inch of rain could drench
northern Vermont, where it is most needed. 

As expected, a little rain passed through Vermont overnight from the remnants of Hurricane Isaias. 

No big deal, only a quarter inch of rain, give or take in most places. Closer to a half inch in far southern Vermont, and about a tenth of an inch far north.  

Be glad that's all we got out of Isaias. In North Carolina, the remnants of the hurricane spun off tornadoes, causing damage in parts of Raleigh and Fayetteville. 

Still, we need more rain, and a couple of storms look like they will oblige. Forecasts for rainfall have increased. Yay! The weather pattern looks a bit on the wild side for the next few days. Not extreme or scary, but not calm either. 

Let's get into it.

TODAY

The calm before the storm. It'll be cloudy in the north, partly cloudy south, with mild highs in the 60s, warmest southeast. There's a little drizzle around this morning that should dry up as we go through the day.  There could be a late day shower north, but most of the day will be dry.

TUESDAY

A busy weather day for sure. 

A stationary front will set up near northern Vermont tonight and part of tomorrow. A storm will move west to east along the front. 

The result: Tuesday will be the first day long washout we've had in a long time. Especially in northern Vermont. The storm wouldn't have been that impressive if not for former Tropical Storm Rachel  The tropical storm and its remnants caused wind, storm surges and flooding in the Desert Southwest over the weekend. 

The former Rachel also stuck her nose in our storm's business.  It is injecting energy and moisture into the system: The result: A bunch of rain. Some wind. Maybe even some thunderstorms. 

The bottom line is it looks like northern Vermont in particular might get a bunch of rain.  That's the part of Vermont that really needs the rain.

There's still time for something to go wrong, of course, but for now, areas north of Route 2 are forecast to receive an inch to an inch and a half of rain. Central Vermont should get maybe three quarters of an inch of rain, give or take. Far southern parts of the state should receive a half inch or less.

The rain and wind and clouds will probably keep temperatures all day in the 50s. There's some question as to whether a warm front will pop readings briefly warmer in some parts of the state. We shall see.

WEDNESDAY

A typical October day. Breezy and chilly, with quite a few clouds, especially north. Highs should reach the 50s, and it'll feel cooler than that with this gusts and clouds. There might be some light showers, especially in the northern mountains. 

THURSDAY

Pick of the week. Sunshine, cool weather. Highs in the 50s. 

FRIDAY

Another windy, rainy storm. This one could be a real foliage stripper. Hard to say how much rain we'll get. But it could be another relatively decent soaking. 

SATURDAY

A blast of cold air will blow in with the coldest air of the season. In fact, it'll probably snow in Vermont late Friday night and Saturday.  Enough to accumulate a little bit in the mountains. Maybe some snow flurries even in the valleys. 

The American computer models usually over emphasize cold air a few days out, so this probably won't be as snowy as some people on social media are suggesting. 

However, the average date of the first snow flurries in Burlington is October 15. So if a stray snowflake lands on Burlington Saturday, it wouldn't be that out of the ordinary. 

Whether any snow flurries hit the valleys or not, so far, Saturday looks miserable. Temperatures look like they will hold in the 40s. Strong northwest winds will make it feel worse. 

AFTER SATURDAY

Luckily, the cold blast won't last long, and a warming trend will start Sunday and continue into the following week. 

Isaias Rain To Remain Mostly In Southern Vermont, But North Could Get Decent Rain Monday Night/Tuesday

A gorgeous autumn Saturday yesterday as seen from atop
Fairfield Hill in St. Albans, Vermont. 

After a stunningly gorgeous Saturday in Vermont, high clouds have covered the sky. 

Those high clouds started coming in during the day yesterday, but they weren't thick enough to interfere with a bright, crisp October day.  Classic Vermont. Even the air almost smelled like pumpkin spice. So what happens next? Let's get into it: 

TODAY

The high clouds, of course, are coming from the remains of Hurricane Isaias, which, as we know, slammed into the Florida Panhandle Friday evening. 

Despite the clouds, temperatures should reach the low 60s today, which is pretty close to average. 

The clouds will lower and thicken through the day, so that it'll be pretty overcast by this afternoon. Rain will move into southern Vermont this afternoon and slowly works its way north. That rain, however, will be battling dry air to the north. 

All this means that northern areas now look like they'll see practically nothing out of this. Forecasts that were issued this morning don't bring much rain to the north tonight at all. Some spots along the Canadian border might remain completely dry. 

For now, the National Weather Service is going for about three quarters of an inch near the Massachusetts border. Amounts quickly diminish to around a third on an inch around Rutland and White River Junction, then  less than a tenth of an inch in Burlington and St. Johnsbury. 

The rainfall forecast is subject to change. Given the forecast trends, I wouldn't be surprised if Vermont receives even less rain than forecast. 

The rain should end by early morning. 

If you don't get much needed rain tonight, we still have a shot at more rain. Including in the north. 

MONDAY

We'll be between weather systems tomorrow. That means mostly cloudy skies and mild temperatures. Highs will be in the 60s. Most of the day will ve dry. We could see some very early morning showers. And more rain might start to break out in the north late in the day.  

TUESDAY

The next storm comes through Monday night through Tuesday. It's not a huge weather system, but it's getting an assist from former Tropical Storm Rachael. That storm hit far northwest Mexico late yesterday. It's causing coastal destruction in southern California and heavy rain/flooding in the Desert Southwest, and on into the southern Rocky Mountains. 

Some of that moisture is getting quickly pulled into our little storm system for Monday night and Tuesday. 

If the forecast holds northern Vermont, which really needs the rain, could receive a decent half inch to an inch of rain out of this.  Somewhat less rain will fall in the south, but at least they'll get a little. 

WEDNESDAY

Like most autumn storms, this one will have a cold front. But the front won't have a ton of cold air behind it.  We'll have the kind of day that's typical for the day after cold front in Vermont. We'll have lots of clouds, especially north. 

There could be some light showers, with temperatures in the 50s. Northwest winds will make it feel chillier. It doesn't look like it will be nippy enough for snow on the mountain summits. So no taste of a winter wonderland quite yet. 

LATE WEEK

At this point, Thursday looks like a nice fall day, probably much like yesterday did.  Friday and the weekend looks like it might bring us our annual foliage stripper storm - wind and rain that will introduce much of Vermont to stick season.  However, pretty foliage will continue in and near the Champlain Valley and warmer southern valleys even after the storm. 

That said, some extended forecasts give us a shot at some of the coldest mid-October weather we've seen in years. Stay tuned on that! 

 

Hurricane Isaias Trashed Florida Panhandle, Wind, Storm Surge Damage Widespread

Hurricane Isaias ripping off the roof of 
a hotel Saturday evening. 

People in the Florida Panhandle and in Alabama have started picking up the mess left by Hurricane Isaias. 

So far, at least four people have been reported dead in the storm. 

The hurricane came ashore around Destin, Florida at around 8 p.m. with top winds of 105 mph. As of this morning, streets were littered with debris, roofing material, fallen trees and wires. Many of those streets were also flooded.. 

Winds gusted to 118 mph in Jay, Florida, 117 mph at Oriole Beach, Florida and 116 mph in Santa Rosa Sound and 114 mph in Milton, Florida

Those gusts were caused by a sting jet, which occurred when drier air ran into an abrupt western edge of the hurricane. That dry air caused rapidly sinking evaporated cool air to rush downward from atop the storm down onto these communities.  

The storm sure was about five feet, a little short of the six to nine feet forecasters had anticipated. That's good news for sure. Isaias arrived a couple hours before high tide, which helped minimize the surge. 

Still, storm surges caused damage in Destin, Fort Walton Beach and other seaside communities. 

It could have all been even worse. Strong upper level winds - thanks El Nino - ripped apart the core of Isaias just as it neared the shoreline. This prevented the hurricane from intensifying more before reaching Florida and Alabama. 

As of early Saturday nearly 900,000 customers in Florida and Alabama had no electricity. 

Isaias was the first Atlantic hurricane of the season. It has been more than 100 years since the Atlantic got its first hurricane this late in the season. Strong upper level winds caused by El Nino has torn apart and destroyed tropical storms that have tried to form so far this year. 

The remnants of Isaias were moving into the Appalachian Mountains Sunday afternoon. At least one tornado touched down in South Carolina, and the area was under threat for more twisters. 

Gusty winds and flood watches continued in parts of the Southeast, too.

Here in Vermont, rainfall from the remnants of Isaias will range from maybe three quarters of an inch in far southern parts of the state to less than a tenth an inch near the Canadian border. In between, central Vermont should see a quarter to a half inch, give or take. At least that's what forecasts issued Sunday afternoon suggest. 

The rain should come through Sunday night.  

A Gorgeous Vermont Saturday, Isais Clouds Arrive Sunday; Some Rain Sunday Night/Monday

Dark clouds and late afternoon sun lights up trees with
yellow leaves Friday in St. Albans, Vermont. 

Today dawned clear and chilly in Vermont, heralding a classic fall day. As we've long expected, we'll enjoy a gorgeous Vermont landscape, with tourists crawling everywhere. 

Stay off the roads in tourist towns if you don't want to sit in traffic. If you want to leaf peep, take the back roads.

Under the sunshine, temperatures will rise only into the 50s, just a bit cooler than average. Frost will whiten lawns in much of the state by tomorrow morning. 

Some high clouds from former Hurricane Isaias were already making it into southern Vermont this morning. They'll head north, so we'll see some pretty high clouds in the blue sky today. 

Enjoy the day. Here's an update at what's coming up next.

SUNDAY

We'll see increasing cloudiness as the remnants of Hurricane Isaias approach. Isaias roared ashore near Dentin, Florida, with top winds of 105 mph. There's lots of damage in that area, as you'd imagine. 

By the time what was Isaias approaches the Northeast, it will just be a weak, wet storm. Rain will roll into Vermont Sunday night.

Since it still looks like it's going by to our south, we'll have a range of rainfall amounts. For now, continues to look like we'll have a half inch to an inch of rain south, a quarter to a half inch rain central and as little as a few hundredth of an inch near the Canadian border. 

The computer models are still disagreeing on exactly how much rain will fall. Some models give less rain, some a little more. We'll look forward to updates. But whatever happens, it won't be a huge storm. Certainly no flood risk.  Southern Vermont will get some beneficial rain, northern Vermont will get dampened a little, which is better than nothing.

MONDAY 

Many of us will have they day off, and it will be an OK day. A few lingering showers might drop a few raindrops early in the day.  Overall, Monday will stay mostly cloudy and mild, with highs in the 60s. 

NEXT WEEK

The weather pattern continues to favor dry weather, but tropical moisture sometimes benefits us. One cold front boosted by the remnants of a Pacific hurricane gave us some extra rain. Former Hurricane Isaias will give us at least a little rain tomorrow. 

And a new cold front will come in Tuesday. It won't be that impressive, but it will get a little moisture boost from Tropical Storm Rachel, which this weekend is causing tidal surges and inland flooding in southern California. 

Rainfall amounts again will probably only amount to a quarter inch or so, give or take. Not much, but more than we would receive without Rachel. 

Then, the rest of the week will be dry, with somewhat cooler than average weather.