As Expected, Severe Storms Added To Vermont Misery; New Flood Threats Loom

A thunderstorm dumped a huge gush of torrential rain
on a section of Lake Champlain as Thursday afternoon'
as the latest round of storms began. 

 Just as expected, a line of severe thunderstorms Thursday added to the damage and misery in Vermont, while residents gear up for the risk of more flooding.  

And there was added bad news from Barre. The first Vermont flood fatality has been reported. A 63-year old man drowned in his flooded house, the Vermont Health Department reported. 

The damage from Thursday's storms was of course much less than what we dealt with early in the week. But, between the local flash flooding, the wind damage and the power outages - plus the interruptions to cleanup the storms caused - it wasn't something we needed.

All but the somehow charmed northwest corner of Vermont were hit by the storms. (I don't know what it is about Franklin, Grand Isle and northwestern Chittenden County, but that area is the only one almost untouched by our summer of horrible storms).

THURSDAY'S STORMS:

The most intense storm was an apparent supercell that entered Vermont from New York roughly at the Rutland/Addison county line and moved northeast into central parts of the state, apparently making it as far as Braintree and Vershire in eastern Vermont. 

Rotation in the storm prompted a tornado warning for northern Rutland and southern Addison County.  Social media contained reports of funnel clouds and in that area, and there was a particular concentration of trees and power lines down in areas like Hubbarton, Sudbury and Whiting, Ripton, Chittenden and Waitsfield.

A funnel cloud with noticeable rotation was also reported in Waitsfield. 

I haven't heard whether there's enough evidence for the National Weather Service in South Burlington to send investigators to determine whether a tornado touched down. Stay tuned on that. 

Our neighbors to the north tangled with tornadoes and severe storms.  A tornado in an Ottawa suburb damaged 125 homes. Another tornado touched down near the Montreal region's Mirabel airport. Montreal itself suffered a lot of wind damage and flash floods. 

Bask in Vermont, at the peak of the storms, 18,000 or so homes and businesses were without power. By 6:30 a.m. today, that number had dropped to about 4,000, mostly in Rutland County. 

The storms created new flash flooding in Orwell, Castleton, Belmont and South Lincoln, among other places. Water was over Route 30 near Lake Bomoseen, and over Routes 73 and 22A around Orwell, where 2.1 inches of rain fell in just an hour and 15 minutes.

In any other year, this would have been the worst summer storm of the year.  Not this time.

And it ain't over yet.

TODAY

The weather front that caused Thursday's mayhem in Vermont has gotten hung up in central New England. 

Low visibility on Interstate 89 in Waterbury Thursday
evening as a torrential thunderstorm passed through. 

The front's proximity means showers and thunderstorms will blossom again today.  They could happen anywhere in Vermont, but will be most concentrated over the southern half of the state.

There was already a batch of renewed rain passing through far southern Vermont early this morning. 

The storms could easily  generate renewed flash flooding over southern Vermont today. 

Any new flash flooding would be more harassment than anything widespread.  Just enough to add to the damage tally, and maybe undo some of the repairs on mountainous back roads in Windham and Bennington counties.

As always, take any flash flooding seriously, and don't try to drive over flooded roads. 

I think northern Vermont is basically in the clear for flooding today, despite some scattered downpours and thunderstorms around. 

SATURDAY

A pretty low risk day, all things considered.  Thunderstorms will be few and far between. There's a quite low but not zero chance that a slow moving storm could cause one or two local problems, but overall, Saturday will be a bit of a breather. 

SUNDAY

Another risky day. We're expecting yet another surge of deep moisture feeding into New England, including Vermont. There's definitely a risk of more flooding, and it could be on the fairly extensive side. 

It won't be as bad as Monday and Tuesday but it is something to watch. We're at risk for at least a little more flood damage on Sunday. 

"I know this is hard news for many. And folks will want to think this is over as soon as the weather breaks on Saturday," Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said. "But it's critical that Vermonters understand that we need to remain vigilant and prepared. Do not be complacent."

It's hard to say where the heaviest rain might set up. Early indications point to southern and eastern Vermont, and especially New Hampshire and parts of Massachusetts. I'll have more updates on this for sure as we get closer. 

NEXT WEEK:

We're still not entirely out of the woods.  At least spotty heavy rain is possible Tuesday, and maybe toward the end of the week. It's too soon to say how heavy and exactly where. But since soil conditions will still be quite wet, it won't take much to set off new trouble.