Quick Update To Coming Arctic Blast, Winter Storm In Vermont

Ice fishing on Lake Champlain a few years ago.  Large
sections of the lake are rapidly freezing and that should
continue with the upcoming weekend's cold snap.  Still
not yet safe in a lot of places, though. 

 A gray but somewhat warmer afternoon today will lead to a day that's even a bit warmer tomorrow in Vermont.  

It won't exactly be beach weather, but it will be the mildest air we'll see in awhile.  Enjoy tomorrow, it won't last. 

This is turning into what might end up being the harshest winter month in Vermont since the very frigid February, 2015. 

The National Weather Service in South Burlington has hoisted a wind chill watch from Friday evening through Saturday morning.  Wind chills by late int the day and into the night are expected to be in the minus 30s.

Yuck! 

We're still expecting temperatures to fall all day Friday amid stiff north winds that will continue into the night. By Saturday morning, actual temperatures will be in the teens to near 20 below for most of us, so this is one nasty cold shot.

It'll barely reach zero Saturday afternoon, then drop back into the teens below zero Saturday night. 

Forecasters are getting more confident about a storm on Monday. It's not a slam dunk yet, but the National Weather Service is now saying snow is likely Monday, instead of just a chance. 

We'll have to watch for strong winds with this one, too, especially along the western slopes of the Green Mountains.   There will be changes to this forecast.  The three likeliest scenarios, in no particular order, are: 1. A pretty decent and fairly windy snowstorm for all of Vermont. 2. A close miss to the east, with lighter snow, with the most near the Connecticut River Valley  or 3. A track so far inland that snow mixes with sleet and freezing rain for a time as warm air comes in from the south and east.

There could be other options that surprise us we'll see.  

The weather disturbance that would cause this storm was still out in the eastern Pacific Ocean this evening.  Once it comes ashore tomorrow, there will be even better atmospheric data coming in from land based measurements and weather balloons.  That data will start to better define the forecast, but expect adjustments leading right up to the day of the potential storm. 

Stay tuned! 

More frigid air should pour in behind the Monday storm, but we don't know how frigid at this point.