(Almost) Relentless Cold To Shiver Your Timbers For Rest Of Month

A recent cold, dry day on frozen Lake Champlain in 
St. Albans, Vermont.  We're in a pattern of repeated Arctic
outbreaks with less precipitation than normal, and it 
looks like the pattern will extend at least through
the end of January and quite possibly beyond.

 There's a decent chance that Monday's snowstorm will be the only substantial one of the month in Vermont, but this January will be remembered for it's frigid temperatures.  

Burlington managed to receive 8.1 inches of snow Monday, enough to barely break the date's record for snowfall of 8.0 set in 1909.

Still, this was by Vermont standards a mid-sized storm, with most everyone receiving five to 10 inches of new snow.  A few spots managed to eek out a foot or even a bit more than that. 

So the storm was helpful, but we need more. We're still below normal.  Burlington is about nine inches behind what should have fallen by this time of year.  We'll probably fall further behind in the coming days because not all that much snow is in the forecast.

Instead, the unrelenting cold persists.  At least unrelenting compared to the series of mild winters we've had in recent years until now.

Today is another "wrong way" day with temperatures. We started before dawn with readings pretty close to 20 degrees, but readings will fall all day into the single numbers. Northwest winds will keep wind chills below zero. The colder parts of the region are under wind chill advisories, with "real feel" temperatures as low as 25 below. 

Get used to those wind chill alerts. We've had quite a few of them lately and we're surely in for more. 

Temperatures will dip below zero this evening.  But at least in western Vermont, we'll have  a "wrong way" night as temperatures start to actually rise after midnight again. 

Wednesday will actually be a rare balmy day. A little Alberta clipper storm from the west will throw a little light snow our way. It won't amount to much, but the warmer valleys will get into the low and mid 30s for a time.

Don't get used to it. We've been in that pattern for a couple weeks now in which one Arctic high pressure system after another crashes down from Canada and sends us into the deep freeze.

The next one should arrive Thursday with falling temperatures and another couple nights well below zero. Friday's highs should barely get above zero.

A few weather weenies have been in a tizzy over a few computer models bringing another nor'easter type storm sometime over the weekend or Monday.  I suppose it bears watching, but most indications at this point are it will go out to sea, or at least be too far east to affect Vermont much. So far, I'm not impressed, anyway. 

What looks likely is yet another reinforcing shot of Arctic air coming in to start next week. This January has a shot at being the coldest one in Vermont since 2004.  That year was the sixth coldest January on record. I'm not sure, but I don't think this January will score in the top ten coldest, as chilly as it has been. 

That depends on how intense the next few Arctic outbreaks are.