Thursday Evening Forecast: Still Icky Icy Northern Vermont Friday

This afternoon's ice forecast from the National Weather Service 
in South Burlington. They've slightly reduced the forecast 
ice accumulation, but areas in orange can still expect at least
a tenth of an inch of ice more than enough to cause travel
problems on the roads tomorrow morning. 

 Since it was above freezing today and the snow had disappeared from my yard in St. Albans, Vermont, I was out frantically trying to get outdoor work done before winter returns (I'm trying to clean up after we took down several dying trees). 

I didn't realize this when I got up this morning, but Burlington had another record high today. Not long after midnight, it was 56 degrees, besting the old record of 55 in 2016.

I could feel the temperatures slowly drop this afternoon while I was outside, setting the stage for that icky, icy, miserable forecast we have for Friday. But at least I got a little bit of work done before the inevitable return to winter.

Which is definitely coming late tonight and Friday morning. 

As anticipated, we do have a few changes to the forecast. It'll still be a mess tomorrow, though. Especially in northwestern Vermont. 

According to the National Weather Service office in South Burlington, total ice accumulation looks to be a little less than what was forecast this morning. This development doesn't change the fact that the roads during the Friday morning commute will be atrocious in the Champlain Valley. 

But at least it reduces the risk of power failures.

Especially in the far northern parts of Vermont, it's beginning to look like there might be a bit more sleet and snow than forecasters thought in earlier forecasts, and a little bit less freezing rain. Along and north of Route 15 it looks like a two to three inch coating of snow and sleet will pile up atop a thin layer of ice from freezing rain.

 Roughly south and east of a Middlebury to St. Johnsbury line, it looks like precipitation might stay as plain rain until around dawn. Then it will get icy.  In the Champlain Valley unfortunately it should get icy in the predawn darkness.

Southern Vermont will mostly escape the ice and snow, and just get a glancing blow, if that, from the return to winter on Friday.

Especially for those of you in the Champlain Valley, it still looks like a good idea to try and work from home Friday, if you can. If you must head out, get an early start, and expect a slow trip. And watch out for the usual idiots on the road who have somehow not figured out how to drive in ice and snow, despite the fact this is northern New England and we should expect this sort of thing. 

Everything should change to light snow by afternoon in most spots and that snow will dwindle off to flurries by evening.

It still looks like some very changeable weather Saturday through next week, but at least at this point there's no gigantic storms in the forecast. At least for here in Vermont.