Thursday Morning Update: Arctic Blast Will Be Even Quicker In, Quicker Out

Snow slid halfway off my roof, and then froze like this.
Looks like this sculpture will stay put until renewed
thawing sets in next week, after our Arctic blast.

Hope you're ready to hibernate for just a couple days. 

That highly advertised Arctic blast, or visit from the Polar Vortex is on our doorstep, ready to swoop in tonight in dramatic fashion. 

The Arctic cold front will blast through Vermont in the first half of tonight, accompanied by brief, but blinding snow squalls, especially in northern parts of the state.

The cold front will come through the Champlain Valley roughly around 9 p.m., give or take. It should exit the southeastern corner of the state around midnight. 

If you're out later tonight, be careful. Some of these snow squalls will mean business with strong winds and low visibility. They'll only last 15 minutes or so in any given location, but they're not to be messes with on the roads.

From there, temperatures will plunge. The frigid air is coming in a little faster than first forecast, so most of us should be well below zero by dawn.  Do note the wind chill warning starts at 1 a.m. Friday and goes to 1 p.m. Saturday. Those wind chills are still expected to be in the 30 to 45 below range. 

The roads tomorrow morning won't be great, either. Those snow squalls will only leave an inch or so of new snow, but it will get so cold so fast that I doubt road salt will work effectively.

Friday, as I noted yesterday, will be miserable. All but the low elevations of southern Vermont will stay below zero all day. North winds will gust to 30 mph. It won't be the day to spend any time outdoors. I'd cancel the ski trip, the hike, or even a run of a few blocks. It won't be worth it. 

Some forecasters have backed off a tiny bit on expected low temperatures Friday night and early Saturday morning. But it will still be among the coldest, or the coldest night in a few years. For now, the National Weather Service office in South Burlington is going with mid-teens below zero in the Champlain Valley to mid 20s below in the Northeast Kingdom.

Saturday will be bright but still bitterly cold. However, the tide will be starting to turn against the chill during the day as the core of the coldest air rapidly gets out of here. Winds will diminish, and most of us will get into the single digits above zero,

I still think temperatures will briefly crash just after sunset Saturday, especially east of the Green Mountains. But by then, south winds will already be starting to stir in the Champlain Valley. Most of us will stay  in the single digits below zero, at least for the first part of Saturday night. 

As the south winds increase, temperatures will actually go up overnight, especially in the Champlain Valley. By Sunday afternoon, the cold snap will be over. Everybody will be in the upper 20s to mid 30s for highs. 

The Arctic blast will be just 48 to 60 hours of misery in what appears to be shaping up to be a warm winter. Temperatures are forecast to be generally above normal into mid-February from Sunday afternoon onward.