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| A Christmas miracle? Climate change? Just a weird year? Daffodil shoots coming up in my St.Albans, northwestern Vermont this Christmas morning. The temperature was a record breaking 64 degrees when this photo was taken. |
Flooding and record warmth is the story in Vermont this morning. Water, as expected is rising, mostly in southern Vermont as rain, high humidity and those record high temperatures quickly erase the what was until yesterday deep snow in that neck of the woods.
Up here in northwest Vermont, I worked clearing brush outside in a t-shirt in my snow-free St. Albans, property. It was the second time in five years I found myself enjoying the outdoors in a t-shirt on Christmas Eve. In Vermont.
Temperatures warmed further overnight. At 8 a.m. it was 64 degrees in Burlington, Vermont, breaking the old record of 62 for the date set in 1964.
This record made a liar out of me. On December 1, when we had a record high of 66 degrees, I said we wouldn't have such springlike temperatures again until, well, spring.
I might have missed a couple places, but my quick check this morning reveals that incredibly, the warmest place in the continental United States at 8 a.m. this morning appears to be the town of Highgate, in the northwest corner of Vermont, with 65 degrees (!!!!). The warmest major weather station in the continental United States appears to be Burlington, Vermont with 64 degrees.
For comparison's sake, it was 54 degrees in Miami, Florida at 8 a.m. It was 49 degrees in Phoenix, Arizona and 53 in Los Angeles.
Snow flurries were in the air last evening and overnight in Atlanta, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
The cold front causing the rain and flooding and the one that will quickly end the record warmth has that "negative tilt" I talked about yesterday. That means its northwest to southeast orientation means this cold front has already gone through the southern United States and Florida. That explains why we are the nation's hot spot this morning.
The warmth is incredible, of course, but by far the most serious concern is flooding. It ain't over yet, despite the relatively light rain in northern Vermont. (As expected, it's been heavier south).
The cold front was on our doorstep this morning. Heavier rain moved into northern Vermont just after 8 a.m., which will put a damper on those record high temperatures. We've reached our peak.
Rivers are already rising, and flood warnings are being issued left and right in southern Vermont and surrounding areas.
The expected crest of the Otter Creek has been scaled back slightly to 11.4 feet tonight, but that's high enough to have water approach houses in Rutland and Center Rutland.
Flood warnings are in effect for stretches of other Vermont rivers as well, including the Walloomsac, West, Hoosic and Williams Rivers in southern Vermont.
Most rivers and streams in southern and central Vermont will be either high or flooding by this evening.
You still want to take extra care, because there will be a lot of flooded roads with this. Do NOT drive through a flooded road or street, even if the water doesn't appear that deep. Looks are deceiving, and you never know if the road bed was washed out beneath the water. It's dangerous!
As of 9 a.m., no roads had closed yet due to flooding, but I'm sure that will change. Vermont Agency of Transportation reported water getting close to roads in some spots already.
High winds have been a problem in spots, too. About 1,000 customers scattered across Vermont have no power as of 9 a.m. today, according to Vermont Outage Map.
The cold air is pretty close by. While it was in the 60s this morning in Vermont, lake effect snows were blowing through western New York.
The colder air will come in fairly gradually, though. Temperatures will fall through the 50s and 40s during this afternoon and evening in Vermont, and things will freeze up tonight. The cold front, once it passes, will shut off most of the rain, too.
The heaviest rain will come between now and early afternoon, just ahead of the cold front. Rainfall totals will exceed an inch in many places. It will go to two inches in favored places in southern Vermont. With the snow melt, you can see how that's more than enough to set off flooding.
By the way, we're now in a fairly stormy weather pattern. But at least for now, not a particularly snowy pattern. The next two storms look like they'll go by to our west, putting us in the warmer, rainier side of the storms.
It probably won't get into the 60s again with these storms, but the way this year's going you never know.
One storm will move past us Monday, with some rain showers, probably beginning and ending as snow showers, with not much accumulation.
After a midweek cold shot, another rainy storm looks likely around New Year's Eve. It will probably have some similarities with today's storm, except it will be much weaker and not have nearly as much warm, humid air with it.
Elsewhere in the Northeast, this Christmas storm has caused a lot of havoc. Flood warnings are widespread in Pennsylvania and New York. Winds as high as 71 mph in Connecticut have cut power to thousands.
Messy day for sure!
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