Sunday Evening Update: Vermont Snow On Our Doorstep; A Lot In Some Places

Here we go, it's that time of year. Almost all of Vermont
can expect some snow between now and Tuesday 
morning.  Areas in yellow or orange can expect
six or more inches of new snow. 

 The upcoming episode of winter weather coming in for parts of Vermont tonight through Tuesday morning is impressive enough that I think we need a Sunday evening update. 

This evening's cold front, once it gets through in a few hours, will set up a classic upslope snow event for Monday especially. 

These upslope snows can dump a lot of snow on the western slopes and summits of the Green Mountains but little near Lake Champlain and in the floor of the Connecticut River Valley.

In this case, up to a foot of snow or even more might pile up on summits like Mount Mansfield and Jay Peak.  

Lower elevations near and along the mountains - where many Vermonters live - could see four to seven inches of snow from this. At least for those of you living at elevations higher than 1,000 feet in the northern half of Vermont. 

Even the far northern Champlain Valley could get into the act a little bit, with three or four inches possible in areas a few miles inland from the lake.  The eastern part of St. Albans, where I live, for instance, could get three or four inches of snow by midday Tuesday. 

I actually pulled my snow shovel out of the shed today and left it by the front door of the house to make it easy for the dogs to get in and out through the expected snow accumulation. My husband, definitely NOT a snow lover, has expressed his discontent over this development. 

Places near Lake Champlain, like Burlington and Middlebury, might get a dusting or maybe an inch, if they're "lucky"

I'm making a big deal out of this because for many of us, this will be the first couple of commutes to and from work this season in which the roads could be pretty dicey.  This includes to and from work Monday and to work Tuesday morning 

Many people don't have their snow tires on yet. Most of us are not used to driving in snow.  Plus we have the usual complete morons on the roads. So budget in extra time to get to and from work and be careful out there. 

Strong northwest winds will wrap moisture from Canada and bring it this way.  As the air goes up the slopes of the mountains, it'll chill further, and wring out moisture in the form of snow.   Disturbances in this northwest wind flow will enhance the snowfall, especially Monday morning and Monday evening and overnight. 

This kind of situation is really quite common in Vermont during November and December.  The Great Lakes and lakes in Ontario and Quebec aren't frozen yet, so they add a little moisture to the atmosphere, allowing for more snow than if the lakes had been frozen. 

The wind during this will be strong, and temperatures during the day won't get out of the low to mid 30s So dress like it's January tomorrow and Tuesday.  The snow should end in most places by noon Tuesday and the winds will calm down a fair bit by late afternoon or evening 

This is a little early for this type of storm, however.   We usually don't start seeing these upslope snow events until we get a little closer to Thanksgiving. 

Winter sports enthusiasts probably love this forecast, and others probably hate it.  

But I've got news that will disappoint the winter people and please the folks like me who haven't come close to finishing their outdoor autumn chores yet.

This episode of snow does NOT signify an early onset of winter, like early November snows last year did. We can expect valley temperatures during the second half of this week to climb into the mid 50s to low 60s. The summits will be above freezing.

It's even possible we could be flirting with record high temperatures by next Sunday or so. 

The early season winter blast will disappear quickly this week.