Storm Blasting Vermont Now, Lots More To Go Before It's Over

The Arctic front coming in from the southwest to give
Vermont a flash freeze this afternoon is seen here 
approaching Frederick, Maryland at 8:30 a.m. today.
Before the front gets to Vermont, expect 
several more hours of damaging winds. 

UPDATE 11 a.m

A pretty shocking 70,600 customers were without power at this hour, which is a wild number.

Amid all the wind, a LOT of pictures of blue sky and rainbows popped up on social media.

Downslope winds are just that, going down. Sinking air destroys clouds, which is mostly why the sun broke out, especially west of the Green Mountains.

Wind has abated somewhat, but strong gusts are still a risk for the remainder of the day. Before and after the Arctic air arrives.

Though 70 mph gusts are still possible, but becoming less likely. Gusts over 50 mph are still very much in play for the rest of the day.

Interestingly, the highest wind gust reported so far was that 70 mph in Burlington. This is a particularly strong storm with winds aloft screaming harder and faster than has almost ever seen before. So it stands to reason that the downslope winds might have more of an angle away from the immediate slopes at times and further into the Champlain Valley instead.

Numerous roads are closed by fallen trees and wires, so be wary of that. It will take a lot of time to clean up the mess.  

This image of tree damage posted by Green Mountain Power
is just one example of widespread troubles from
today's storm in Vermont.

Flooding is now in play and will continue and perhaps worsen this afternoon.  A flood warning is up for much of the Champlain Valley and central and southern Vermont. 

Around a 1.5 inches of rain has fallen in some areas, with a half inch to an inch more on the way. Plus there's all that melting snow. It's another reason to stay home. 

You might encounter flooding in low spots. 

The flash freeze is still on schedule for the afternoon, which is a huge hazard as roads will turn to glare ice. Gov Phil Scott is sending most state workers home by 1 p.m. in anticipation of the freeze, and he is encouraging other Vermont employers to do the same. 

Reports VTDigger:

"'You need to be where you are going to be by 4 p.m.,' said Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison. "After that, all bets are off and you will be taking a tremendous risk.'"

UPDATE 9 a.m.: A 70 mph wind gusts was just reported at the National Weather Service office in South Burlington. That ties the record for the second highest wind gust on record in Burlington.

This is serious folks!

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION 

As of 8 a.m. we in Vermont were well into the wind phase of this huge storm. 

Power outages are ramping up rapidly, damage reports are starting to come in pretty rapidly now, and winds are howling. 

As is the case in most downslope events, the gusts come sporadically. Some neighborhoods seem relatively protected from the wind and aren't that bad. Other neighborhoods get blasted every few minute by damaging gusts, with lulls in between.

Reports of actual gusts are just starting to come in. We'll see more of those later

As of 8 a.m, VtOutages.org, nearly 29,000 Vermont customers were without power. That was up from just 4,700 outages as of around 4 a.m.  By 8:30, power outages were  up to 38,500, and rising super fast. 

So far, the damage reports are coming mostly from towns that are most prone to downslope winds on the western slopes of the Green Mountains. Wells, a perennial downslope wind epicenter, reports multiple trees own along Route 30 in that town.  A number of trees were down along Browns Trace Road in Jericho. 

Traffic issues will get worse as major roads are affected. As of 8 a.m. for example, Route 7 near Route 17 in New Haven was shut down by fallen trees and power lines. Earlier, Route 5 in Norwich near the intersection of Route 132 was shut down for the same reason.

We'll see more and more examples of this as the morning wears on. 

Storm chaser Nishan Bilazarian has been in the storm around Mendon and Rutland, Vermont overnight and this morning. Video shows his vehicle rocking in the wind,  and traffic signals in Rutland swaying mightily in the gale. Before dawn, he reports power flashes from breaking power lines around Rutland. 

Many of you are probably hearing a sound akin to jet engines outside. That's the sound of winds as high as 100 mph a few thousand feet overhead.  Most of it stays up there, but especially in western Vermont, the wind breaks like a wave over the mountains, and in that fashion is able to roar down the slopes of the mountains as powerful, damaging gusts. 

The strongest winds today should happen between about now, 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. 

Of course, I'll have trouble keeping up with the reports, but you get the idea from the above description. I'd stay home at least until the winds die down.

The highest wind period, through 1 p.m., isn't the end of it. The powerful cold front with this storm passes through this afternoon.

Ahead of it, in addition to the wind, we'll see waves of rain pass through.  

The National Weather Service in South Burlington says the front is so powerful, things might get a little weird as it passes through.

For instance, the sharp drop in temperature will probably occur a few thousand feet aloft a little before the blast of frigid air reaches us on the ground. That cold air aloft could allow a quick burst of snow and sleet while temperatures are still up in the 40s. You might even hear thunder. (There were already a few lightning strikes early this morning in southeastern Vermont).

Then, the cold air will arrive here. The forecast hasn't changed in that regard. Look for roads to rapidly ice up from west to east, or southwest to northeast this afternoon.

Snow and sleet accumulation will only amount to an inch or less for most of us, but that will just add to the icy conditions. Winds will continue to gust to 50 mph in many areas into the evening. That will make repairing power outages that much more difficult, and possibly lead to a few new ones. 

As temperatures crash into the teens, that will just make things more miserable for repair crews, and people who have no power in their homes.