Storm About To Slam Wide Area of Eastern U.S.,Including Vermont

This morning's iteration of the National Weather Service's
snow prediction map. Still a general 7-14 inches for most
of us. Wind and wet snow could lead to power outages.

 Here we go again with one of the storms that affect lots of people as it covers a lot of ground over the eastern United States.  

Winter storm warnings extend from Vermont all the way down to the northeastern corner of Mississippi.  Warnings like that this time of year are pretty rare that far south. Other winter alerts stretch all the way from Arizona to Maine. 

The Southeast is bracing for severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes today and tonight. It also looks like crop losses might be heavy in the Deep South as a hard freeze is expected to follow the storm Saturday and Sunday mornings in the Mississippi and Alabama and in the Southeast Sunday morning.

This, in an area where peach and other fruit trees are already blooming.

In the Northeast, coastal areas will see a lot of rain and wind, then a sudden freeze, while interior sections see the snow. Which leads us to what we expect here in Vermont.

VERMONT IMPACTS

Overall, the forecast hasn't changed much since last evening.  The broad details are that most of Vermont should see a pretty good slug of snow during the day Saturday, followed by a sharp temperature drop and strong winds Saturday night, and a blustery, cold Sunday with blowing snow. 

Power outages and unsafe roads will be the main problem with this storm. On the bright side, this does not look like quite as bad a storm as it did a little over 24 hours ago. Impactful, yes. Historic? Probably not. 

On to the details.

Spring of sorts continues today, but it won't be as gorgeous as Thursday was with that warm springlike sunshine. Spring is about to take a hiatus for just a few days. We'll be under the clouds today, so we'll be a little cooler than Thursday. But 40 degrees isn't so bad for this time of year. 

Some snow will break out  early Saturday, especially in western Vermont, but that precipitation won't be very heavy. It could also be mixed with rain, or even just a cold rain in the deeper valleys to start. 

The main show will come from late morning into the evening.  Snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour are still expected, which is fairly intense. 

The initial snow will be wet and heavy, but turn more powdery as temperatures start dropping Saturday afternoon and evening. 

Signs of spring life in my St. Albans, Vermont perennial
gardens as the last of the snow melted away Thursday.
Spring is about to be put on hold for a few days with
an oncoming winter storm and quick shot of winter-
like air. It will warm up again next week. 

I think in northwestern Vermont, the snow will turn powdery early enough into the storm to prevent a lot of widespread power issues. 

But temperatures will probably stay near 32 degrees in the southeastern half of Vermont for a large portion of the storm, which would lead to snow loading on trees and power lines. Which would be especially dangerous when the wind picks up.

The southeastern corner of Vermont will get less snow than the rest of the state because the first part of the storm will feature rain or a rain/snow mix. That'll cut down on snow totals. 

The snow will dwindle down Saturday night, lasting longest along the western slopes of the Green Mountains and in the Northeast Kingdom.

The National Weather Service in South Burlington is still saying total accumulations will range 7 to 14 inches for most of us, with a little less than that in southeastern Vermont.  Mountain areas will be closer to the 14 inches, most valleys will see 7 to 10 inches.  

Winds will really crank out of the north overnight Saturday with many places gusting to or over 40 mph. In places that get more of that wet, sloppy snow especially, power outages will continue under than slush and wind load. Charge your devices tomorrow morning, especially if you live in southern Vermont.

Even northern Vermont could experience a few power outages, just because the wind will be so strong.  Blowing snow will be a huge problem overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning. 

After the relative warmth we've had recently, it will turn shockingly cold. Lows by early Sunday morning will be at or a little under 10 degrees, which is pretty chilly for mid-March. Wind chills will be below zero.

Sunday, the first day of daylight savings time, will be wintry.  Winds will continue to howl, but slowly diminish during the day. The sun will start to make an appearance, too, but temperatures will stay in the cold 20s.

It is March, so spring will start to re-assert itself a bit on Monday and continue through the week. The snow will begin to thaw away, slowly at first, and maybe more rapidly toward Thursday as temperatures bounce back to possibly the 50s. 

If forecasts holds, the snow that piles up Saturday will be mostly gone in the valleys within a week or so.