Ugly Icy Morning Is Here, For Some Of Us In Vermont, Anyway

Areas in yellow and especially orange can expect ice
and slippery roads today. 

 As of 6 a.m., a nasty freezing drizzle was falling in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, and things there will continue to go downhill as our icy storm has arrived.

The storm is running late, so not much precipitation had fallen as of 6 a.m. But, a little dab will do ya, as they say. So despite the thinnest layer of ice out there, road conditions are deteriorating.

At my place in St, Albans at 6:30 a.m., I had freezing drizzle and a thick, rather dense freezing fog. Yuck!

As precipitation rates pick up this morning in the Champlain, in the form of freezing rain and sleet, and then snow, and the temperature continues to fall, the road conditions will just get worse.

Early this morning we had quite a temperature contrast in Vermont. Up in Burlington, at 6 a.m. it was 29 degrees with freezing drizzle, or  frizzle as I call it. Down it Bennington, it was still a nice, balmy 53 degrees.

In between, it was in the upper 30s and low 40s.  It will take awhile for the cold air to push into central and southern Vermont. At this point, it looks like Montpelier and Rutland could stay as plain rain until mid-morning, when mixed precipitation will arrive amid falling temperatures. 

St. Johnsbury might wait until as late as 11 a.m. or so for the mix. 

Far southern Vermont will get into the light snow and mix with the colder air this afternoon. But by then, the storm will be blowing by, so they won't get much of anything. 

The winter weather advisory for the worst ice and snow conditions runs roughly north and west of a Rutland to St. Johnsbury line. However, places south and east of that line will have some trouble with icy, slick roads this afternoon.

In the worst-hit northwestern part of the state, the freezing rain and sleet should pick up in intensity basically any minute now (I'm writing this at about 6:30 a.m. ).

Although the mixed precipitation will be more than enough to make the roads and sidewalks icy as hell, it won't be enough to cause much in the way of power outages. 

Even before the main precipitation arrived, little icicles 
were beginning to form in the freezing drizzle on 
the light fixtures outside my St. Albans, Vermont home.
Photo take around 6:45 a.m. 

Usually, you start seeing problems when ice accumulates more than a quarter inch on trees and wires. The expectation is most of the Champlain Valley and other parts of northwestern Vermont should see maybe a tenth of an inch of ice.  Maybe just a tad more in a few spots. 

We might see a few power issues as winds pick up, but it won't be a huge disaster like the two storms in December were for Vermont's power grid. 

Freezing rain will transition to sleet, then to snow as the morning and early afternoon wear on. Snowfall amounts will only amount to an inch or two along and north of Route 2. It might end up closer to three inches way in the northwest corner of Vermont, up by Highgate, Swanton and Alburgh.  

Central and southern Vermont should see less than an inch in most places. There probably won't be anything at all way down by Brattleboro.

Many schools are either closed or delayed today in northwestern Vermont, so you'll want to check your local announcements.

I did notice some lightning strikes in central New York early this morning. It's possible, not likely but possible, some of us in Vermont will end up with thunder sleet, or thunder ice or something like that.  

If you must head out, be careful as you might be surprised. We've had that record warmth, so some main roads in northwestern Vermont might initially be just wet. But as temperatures continue to fall into the teens this afternoon, that will change.

Road crews are out salting and sanding, but precipitation will wash some of that off, and the salt will start to become a bit less effective as it gets colder. 

And cripes! Be careful walking out there. It was so slick underfoot around my property in St. Albans early this morning, and that problem will continue to expand. 

Emergency rooms are going to be awfully busy with people injured in falls, I'm afraid. 

The good news is we're going to lose at least some of the ice. Eventually. 

The snow will end later this afternoon, and it will be a cold night, with lows in the single numbers.

Saturday, temperatures will rebound to the upper 20s and low 30s under a fair amount of sunshine. That will melt some of the ice in sunny spots. Sunday will bring temperatures up into the 40s, so that will get rid of some more of it. 

That brings up another hazard: I have a feeling ice blowing off cars and trucks on the highways will crack or break windshields of traffic behind them.

When you hack through the ice to get into your vehicle today or tomorrow, try to get as much ice off the whole thing as you can.  Me and my windshield will thank you profusely.