Thursday Evening Vermont Snow Update: Somewhat Lackluster, But Still Worth Taking Seriously

National Weather Service office in South Burlington issue
this updated snow forecast map Thursday afternoon
Snow totals look pretty lame with this system in 
southwestern Vermont, but at least the mountains
get something. Everything in yellow gets at least
 six inches of snow

 As of 4 p.m.this Thursday afternoon, snow had entered southwestern Vermont as expected and was working its way northeastward. All of Vermont should be in the snow within the next three hours or so. It's moving northward pretty fast. 

It looks like the main show with this system will be brief, mainly between this evening and a couple hours after midnight. That's when most of the storm's accumulation will hit.

It's a good evening to stay in and binge watch Netflix or something, as travel won't be worth it in the heaviest dump of snow with this storm.  

Temperatures hovered in the low 30s across Vermont all day. It was another gloomy, but rather warm day.  It won't cool off much tonight during the snow, so this still looks like a heavy, wet mess. I'm still thinking that low elevations of southern Vermont will have a mix out of this, so they might only get a couple inches total. 

Even in the Champlain Valley, relatively warm temperatures will probably keep snow totals in the four inch or so range. I could be surprised and see more, but that's the thinking right now. 

Forecasters still think there might be a lull in the snow or mix during the pre-dawn hours Friday before snow redevelops. It won't snow super hard, though a couple to a few inches will probably come down Friday morning and early afternoon. Especially in the mountains and north. 

Still, driving won't be all that great, so stay off the roads if you can. (My generous employer has already told me I can work from home tomorrow instead of commuting a half hour on Interstate 89 in the snow with all the idiots on the road who I swear are desperate to cause dramatic car crashes in winter weather). 

In January, snowfalls in Vermont tend to be dry and powdery. After all, it's the coldest month of the year. We are also in what is normally the coldest week or two of the year. At least on average. But this snow will be on the wet side. So, if you have a heart condition or are older, you might want slip some cash to a nice young brawny teenager to shovel your driveway.

Power outages are likely, but it still looks like they will be relatively few and far between. 

The good news is the mountains, including the ski areas, should see a solid six to eight inches of snow out of this. That's not huge, but given the kind of winter we've had so far this year, that is a blessing. 

Meteorologists are still tracking two more potential storms, one on Sunday night and Monday, the other Wednesday or Wednesday night. Since it's a few days before either storm would affect us, there's still a lot of questions about how much snow we will get here in Vermont and whether any of it will change to a mix, or ice or rain. It's that kind of month. 

It'll be interesting to see to what extent we erase some of our snow deficit this winter. As of Wednesday, Burlington has had 20.7 inches of snow this winter. That's 17.2 inches below normal. I doubt we'll get back up to normal within a week, but we still have a possibility of getting closer. 

Also, latest long range forecasts continue to advertise a colder weather pattern for most of the Lower 48 starting soon. But the coldest weather would be to our west. If those extended forecasts are anywhere close to accurate, in a few days we'll go from warmer than normal for January to more or less average. 

If you are itching for a spell of 20 below Arctic frigid cold, you're sick. You will also be sorely disappointed, at least until the opening days of February. However, there's no telling what that month will bring.