Snow Update: Not Quite As Big A Crocus Crusher As First Thought, But Still

Forecasts for todays snow have been lowered. Only a few
favored mountain locations will probably get more
than six inches of snow. Elsewhere in the north
expect two to six inches.

I woke up to a few changes in today's April Fool's Day snowstorm in parts of Vermont and New York, and the news is marginally good if you don't like spring snow. 

Yes, many areas will still get that long advertised crocus crusher snow today in Vermont and New York.  It's just that the crushing won't be quite as intense as first thought. 

The winter storm warning in northern New York is canceled. The winter weather advisory in New York and northwest Vermont is still there, but snow totals will be somewhat less than first feared

Several factors will keep snow totals down below earlier forecasts: 

Although the cold front did speed up a little last evening and make its way through Vermont, the cold air behind it didn't rush in as quickly as first thought.  

It was still raining in Burlington with a temperature of 37 degrees at 7 a.m.  But Burlington did flip to snow as of 8 a.m. At my place in St. Albans, it was mixed rain and snow at 7 a.m. , with a dusting of accumulation on the ground.  Temperatures were still a little above freezing.  

However, by 8 a.m., it was all snow in St. Albans and coming down a little harder.  Elevations above 1,500 in northern Vermont were solidly in the snow since sunrise, too.

Crocuses in my St. Albans, Vermont gardens getting
snowed on this morning. 

Temperatures were still slowly declining as of dawn today and will continue to do so for a few hours at least. That will change rainy areas to snow.  The snow in northern New York will be able to continue. 

But by the time enough colder air comes in, the storm along the New England coast will be moving away.  

The storm's forward motion is quicker than first forecast, so the heavier precipitation won't last as long.  Snow will be lighter, more showery and more focused on the mountains by mid-afternoon.  

On top of that, the bulk of the snow is falling during daylight hours. There is of course a very thick overcast in place. But some heat from the high spring sun angle can get through, which could try to melt a little of the snow as it accumulates.

The bottom line is most places that were already snowing at dawn can expect two to six inches of snow with spot areas in the high elevations getting more than that.  The areas I'm talking about here are northwestern Vermont north of Burlington, and in higher elevations down through central Vermont. 

Northern New York will have similar amounts, if not just a tiny bit more. 

Most places in the valleys of central and southern Vermont will only get a dusting to two inches, probably. 

If you like spring weather, you have to take the good with the bad. Some of you might be relieved that we won't get as much snow as originally forecast. But predictions still do seem accurate for a cold snap.

That means overnight lows in the upper teens and low 20s tonight and Friday night and temperatures in the low 30s this afternoon and Friday afternoon.

That predicted warm up next week won't be quite as warm as first thought, either. It'll be OK, but it looks like 60s are off the table.

Stalled storms love to meander near the New England coast this time of year. These tend to add a lot of April gloom and chill to the season.  One such storm will actually move westward toward New England from the Atlantic early next week. 

Vermont, as is normal with that setup, won't be as affected as the coast, which faces chilly, foggy breezes off the water due to that storm.  Here, we'll get some clouds, and a little cooler than it otherwise would be.  

Expect high temperatures in the upper 40s over the weekend. Early next week, there will be upper 40s east and low to mid 50s west.  That's still not bad for this time of year, just not as glorious as first planned.