Even Colder This Morning Than First Thought As Frigid Spell Unabated

A frigid Burlington dawn today in this screenshot from
the Burlington Haze Cam. That fog bank over the lake
is steam rising from still unfrozen sections of the lake.
Most of Vermont was 12 to 24 below this morning. 

 Arctic high pressure over Quebec fed the coldest air yet this chilly January into the North Country, especially into northwestern Vermont and New York State. 

The source region for the air in central Quebec was in the 30s below zero range before dawn, so it's now surprise that readings barely warmer than that showed up in parts of the North Country.

The first readings at or below 30 below in the region showed up in the cold spots in northern New York, and a few record lows were set. 

As of 6 a.m. the perennial cold spot Saranac Lake was at 30 below, breaking their record low for the date of 27 below in 2005.  Ogdensburg, New York was even a bit colder, at 33 below. Massena, New York had a record low of 29 below.

The northern Champlain Valley, north of  Burlington, can get pretty chilly in the winter, but that area is not usually as cold or colder than the Northeast Kingdom.

But dense cold air drained south out of Quebec, down the Richelieu River valley in southern Quebec down into the far northern Champlain Valley. It was 20 below in Highgate at 7 a.m, about the same in St. Albans. Plattsburgh was down to 19 below, enough for a record low for the date.

So far the coldest of the air hadn't reached Burlington, at least not to its fullest extent. Most record lows in Burlington in January are in the 20s below zero, but for some reason, super cold air has never appeared on this date in Burlington, even though it's normally the coldest week of the year. 

Today's record low is 15 below. So far, Burlington has just gotten to 12 below.

Meanwhile, the coldest hollows of the Northeast Kingdom were at around 20 below.  Had they gotten the full force of this Quebec air, it would have been 30 below there.

Despite full sunshine, it will only get up to within a few degrees either side of zero this afternoon, setting us up for another frigid night. 

Tonight's coldest readings will probably be further east, toward the Northeast Kingdom.  This Arctic blast will be beginning to wane a bit over New York. It'll be frigid, with below zero readings there, but not as bad as this morning.

We're not done yet. It'll "warm up" this weekend to highs in the teens, with some 20s popping up Sunday.

But at least two more Arctic blasts are on the way. The one coming in for Monday doesn't look as bad as the current blast, but a lot of us will still be below zero by Monday morning. 

Another cold front swings by Tuesday, and the freezer door opens again. That second spell of frigid air Wednesday into Friday at least, at this point looks like it will probably of the same caliber we're experiencing this morning.

If that happens, expect more readings around here in the teens, 20s and maybe a few low 30s below zero.  

There might be yet another shot of Arctic air after that. 

If you don't like below zero weather and want a light at the end of the tunnel there's this: We're seeing a few signs of a pattern change in early February that would bring temperatures up somewhat. Long range forecasts are iffy, so that potential February warming isn't a promise, but more of a hope. 

We'll see!