Finally! Drizzle, Wet Snow, Gloom, Fog Is Ending, And (Temporarily) Somewhat Cooler

Jackson the Weather Dog left these paw prints in the
thin scrim of snow that accumulated on our deck, proving
that yes, it can snow in January.

During the first six days of January in Burlington, Vermont, it was below freezing for less than 12 hours. 

This, at a time of year when it normally stays below freezing all day. 

Add to that the gloom, overcast, fog, drizzle, and yes, some wet snow in the southeastern half of Vermont Friday, we need to see the sun. 

Make hay while the sun shines, goes the saying.  Even if the only sun available is metaphorical. One benefit of this bizarre January weather is it enabled me to do yard work on the unfrozen grounds of my St. Albans property. 

Yeah, I got wet from the drizzle, but it was still easier to work out there, as opposed to the usual January delights of subzero temperatures or wind chills

The good news is we have a temporary period of sunnier, drier, clearer and chillier weather starting today. We even got a thin scrim of snow overnight in St. Albans to mark the change in the air. 

At least partial blame for this warm, damp early January goes to the  atmospheric rivers that have been afflicting California with repeated downpours, floods and winds. Those storms have been coming eastward across the U.S. They carry mild Pacific air with them, so it's been on the warm side.

For the next week or so, those storms that blasted California will weaken as they cross the U.S. and pass well to our south. So, we in Vermont get treated to some sun, and slightly cooler weather. 

Alright, today will still lack in the sun department, but at least it will feel a little more like January. We're starting off this Saturday morning warm again - in the low 30s.  But most of us have probably already seen our high temperature for the day.  Readings will hold steady or even slowly drop through the late morning and afternoon.  

A heart shaped puddle/pot hole in the gloom of a 
damp, warm January in Vermont. 

Sunday looks like it might actually live up to its name and grace us with a fair amount of sunshine. Temperatures will fall well below freezing before dawn, and then rise to within a few degrees of freezing by afternoon.

The January warmth we've been having is self sustaining to an extent. True, we'll have a feed of somewhat colder air from Canada during much of the upcoming week.  But it's well short of true Arctic air .

Usually this time of year, we have a snow cover. That tends to keep us refrigerated and keeps us cold even when the supply of chilly air from up north is wanting. 

Without the snow cover, it will be a little warmer in Vermont than it otherwise would be this time of year. At the moment, forecasters expect high temperatures to be mostly in the 25 to 32 degree range (give or take) during the entire week. 

The chances of subzero temperatures are pretty much nil.

If we had a snow cover, it would probably be roughly five to 10 degrees nippier than what is in the forecast. 

The relative chill is not likely to last, as long range forecasts call for another warm up toward next week. That's uncertain but it's what seems to be in the cards at the moment. Some sort of storminess also seems like it wants to return by next weekend but how that plays out is anyone's guess.