A Snowstorm To Pop Up In Northern Vermont Mountains, Most Of State Just Stays Dry, Cold

A sneaky snowfall coming up in some parts of northern 
Vermont and and New York. A few favored spots are 
in for more than six inches of snow, while
some areas, especially south and east, get nothing.

A sneaky snowstorm is coming into Vermont - for a few of us, anyway.  

An interesting weather pattern is setting up in parts of Vermont and northern New York tonight and Friday which will provide quite a bit of snow and blowing snow to some area.

Meanwhile,  much of the rest of the region just stays mostly dry and cold and windy for the next couple of days, with no real issues with snow

I've told you in recent days the weather pattern is blocked up, keeping us locked in the cold Canadian air through the weekend.

High pressure near Greenland and the North Atlantic has trapped a storm in eastern Canada, which in turn has trapped another cold high pressure system near Hudson Bay.

That Greenland high is strong enough so that it's shoving that Canadian storm westward, inland into northern Quebec. 

The squeeze play between that storm and the high pressure near Hudson Bay will ensure we in Vermont stay cold and windy through Saturday.

The interesting part is that this westward storm motion in Quebec will allow moisture to wrap around it and sweep down on northern Vermont on this northwest flow.

Winds flowing into the rising terrain of the eastern Champlain Valley and northern Green Mountains means a bunch of snow and blowing snow is in the offing.  

Talk about the Jay Peak cloud! That mountain is in the bullseye and I wouldn't be surprised if they pick up a foot or more of snow by Saturday. 

Elsewhere in the north, a winter weather advisory is up for the northern Champlain Valley, basically Franklin County, Orleans and Lamoille counties in the northern Green Mountains and the western slopes down through Chittenden County, east of Burlington. 

Parts of the northern Adirondacks are under the gun, too.

In these above areas, three to eight inches of snow is likely, with locally higher amounts a real possibility.   Since it will be windy through this and the snow will be quite fluffy, expect a lot of blowing and drifting snow. 

This will cause problems with visibility and snow drifts on roads later tonight and through Friday. 

There will be quite a transition in the central and northern Champlain Valley with the snow. Little snow will fall along the immediate lake shore, while several inches will pile up in eastern Chittenden and Franklin counties. 

It's a scenario in which early morning streets Friday in downtown Burlington are pretty much clear, but by the time you hit  Williston, you're in an almost blizzard with the snow and blowing snow.

The snow in these areas will tend to diminish but not completely stop during the day Friday, and then pick up again for awhile Friday evening and night. 

If you live in or near the Connecticut Valley from St. Johnsbury south, or in the valleys of southwestern Vermont, you'll wonder what all the fuss is about. You'll get little if any snow.  Even the southern Green Mountains can only expect an inch or two out of this, no biggie. 

Everyone will stay cold through Sunday morning, and wind chills will be a factor. The wind will start to increase this afternoon and reach 10 to 25 mph, with gusts to 30 or even 40 mph at times into Saturday when the gusts will begin to die down. 

I guess this is partial payback for early winter, when southern Vermont was walloped with big snows in December, while people in northern parts of the state were just bystanders. 

After drier, chilly weather Sunday, it's still looking like some thawing might take place for a few days next week. It could be as warm as 50 degrees Wednesday. However, in areas that get hit by the snow tonight, fresh, new snow might reflect the sun's warmth back to space, perhaps keeping those areas a few degrees cooler, but still not bad.