Record High Temperature Potential To Flash Freeze: March In Vermont

I know this seems crazy, but I spent a winter shoveling snow
off my driveway. But the result was an eight foot tall mound 
of snow that would melt and run into my basement. Also, 
beneath that big pile of snow is spring flower bulbs. I
want to remove most of that snow so that they actually bloom
sometimes before the first frosts of autumn. So I shovel
the snow back on the driveway to quickly melt away.
Hey, it's exercise too, right?

Enjoy today, because we won't have another warm day like this in Vermont for a little while. It's only March after all. You can't expect much.  

Most of us will get into the 50s today, some of us will touch 60 degrees, which would be the warmest weather since Christmas Day. 

It managed to get past 50 degrees yesterday in Burlington for the first time this year. The sunny skies accompanying the warmth also made for the most delightful day of the year so far.

Quite a bit of lingering snow cover meant you could enjoy winter sports almost in summer gear. 

Overall, the snow did not melt that fast yesterday. We certainly lost snow cover, but this snow is compacted and icy, so it fights off the warmth. More importantly, the humidity was low on Wednesday. Snow melts more slowly in dry air than in humid conditions. 

Today, the humidity will come up. Dew points, instead of being in the 20s, will be in the 30s and 40s.  Dew points above freezing tend to melt snow faster, especially when the snow is being blasted by these humid winds, as they will today. So the snow will probably melt faster today than it did yesterday.

Dew points, by the way are a measure of how much humidity is in the air. If the temperature drops to near the dew point temperature, you get, well, dew, and likely fog and perhaps precipitation. The higher the dew point, the more moisture is in the air.

For those anxious to get rid of all of the snow,  you're out of luck. Like most March warm spells, this one won't last long. It'll be cooler Friday behind the first in a series of cold fronts, with temperatures holding in the 40s. Then it becomes downright chilly Saturday through Monday.  Plus, as usual in March, some of us will get a little replacement snow.

It won't be much, but snow showers and maybe some snow squalls will come through Friday night with a second cold front.  That sets us up for a possible flash freeze, in which wet roads immediately ice up and become covered in snow. Watch it if driving Friday night or Saturday morning.

We won't get much snow - most of us will get an inch or less - but it's a reminder that winter isn't really done. A third cold front Saturday night will create a few more snow showers and make it even colder Sunday and Monday. High temperatures those days probably won't even crack the freezing point, and nighttimes will be in the single numbers and teens. 

Beyond that, the forecast turns really uncertain.  To the likely delight of snow lovers and the anger of springtime enthusiasts, we really are overdue for another snowstorm in Vermont. This time of year sometimes brings the biggest snowstorms of the year.

I'm not saying such a snowstorm is going to materialize, but it's still totally possible. 

Then again, time marches on, and sooner or late, we'll enjoy some sunny days much warmer than even today. Looking forward to the month of May yet?