Hope You Enjoyed Record Breaking "Springtime" Winter Hits Vermont Again Starting Saturday

Was looking rather springlike in my St. Albans, Vermont
yard amid record December warmth yesterday, but...

 In case you didn't notice, we basked in some balmy record warmth in Vermont on Thursday with temperatures more like mid or late April than December. 

The high temperatures Thursday were pretty impressive:

Burlington reached 61 degrees, breaking the old record for the date of 54 from 1982.

I'll have to check in on whether Montpelier broke the record for the entire month, it has to be close. They certainly managed a record for the date with 63 degrees, beating the old record by a full ten degrees.

Over in New York State, there were plenty of record highs. Perennial cold spot Saranac Lake certainly didn't live up to its reputation yesterday - they set a record for the date of 58 degrees.

A cold front that is ending the record warmth didn't make it through Vermont until just after midnight, so the record heat continued.

It was still 58 or 59 degrees at midnight in Burlington, so that will break today's record high of 56 set in 2000.   Montpelier was still around 60 degrees at midnight, so I'm sure they broke a record for the date too.

If you like such warm temperatures, I hope you enjoyed it, since you're not going to see anything like again for quite awhile.

Today will still be warm for the season, but nearly at the level we saw yesterday and last night. Temperatures are falling through the 40s early this morning, and will linger in the upper 30s to mid 40s this afternoon before sliding back below freezing again tonight. 

Snow lovers, disappointed by the record warmth,  now get their turn. Vermont is in for a mid-sized snowstorm, and whatever falls will stick around for awhile. 

A winter storm watch is in effect in Vermont south and east of a line from roughly Shoreham to Island Pond. There, the expectation is for six inches or more of snow.  Those of outside the winter storm watch won't miss out. Northwestern Vermont at this point is in for four or five inches of snow. 

.. the National Weather Service in South Burlington is 
forecasting four to eight inches of snow for most of us
Saturday and Saturday night

Saturday will turn dark, gray and cold, and snow will break out in the afternoon and continue all night Saturday night. 

You know the drill: Roads will be snow covered and slippery during the storm and just after, so you might adjust your travel plans.

Still, at this point this looks like a well-behaved storm. It'll essentially be a Hallmark Christmas movie snowfall.

Though snow will come down at a pretty good clip at times, but it won't be blinding. Winds won't be particularly strong, so there won't be a lot of blowing and drifting. (This will be a nice break from the winds in the Champlain Valley. Today marks the eight day in a row in Burlington with wind gusts at or above 30 mph).

The snow will be rather powdery, so I don't think we'll have issues with power outages. A mix with any freezing rain or sleet seems unlikely, too.  

It'll stay relatively cold next week, so the snow shouldn't disappear. There's no signs of any other storms for the next several days. At most, we'll get just a few light snow showers from time to time next week to freshen things up a bit.