Dangerous, Stormy Afternoon Underway In Vermont (1 PM Update)

Early afternoon radar shows from the National 
Weather Service in South Burlington shows storms
organizing themselves into lines that would go
over the same spots over and over again.

 Storms rapidly fired up in and near Vermont late this morning, and it's turning into a dangerous afternoon in many parts of the state.  

Some of the storms have been severe, with reports of damaging winds, especially in central and northeastern Vermont.

The bigger problem is flash flooding. A flash flood warning was already up in north central Vermont east of the Green Mountains as of 1 p.m., and I'm sure more warnings will be issued.

Unfortunately, many of the storms seem to be arranging themselves into trains - you know, like the box cars on the train tracks going over the same place over and over. 

The  air is really, really juicy, and capable of tremendous rainfall rates.  Some places could get two or three inches in an hour.  A rainfall rate of an incredible five inches per hour was reported out of Keene Valley, New York.

It won't rain that hard anywhere for a full hour, and rainfall rates in most places will be less than five inches per hour.

But the rainfall rates in many areas will easily be enough to create flash floods. Right now, all it would take is one to two inches of rain in an hour to create flash flooding across most of the Green Mountain State. Several locations should easily get that much rain that fast today. 

The overall storminess will slowly shift eastward and southward across Vermont, so places in the southeast half of the state that haven't seen much activity yet will get their share. 

The storm and flood warnings will probably come at us in rapid fire succession during the rest of the afternoon, so have ways to receive weather alerts promptly. 

If driving, pay attention for water over the roads or washouts in some spots.  It's tricky, because things might not be bad at all where you are, but a few miles down the road, it's a mess.

If you live in a flood prone area, I'd have a go bag ready to make a hasty retreat in case of flash flooding.

Not everyone will have a flash flood. In fact, most places in Vermont probably won't have anything too serious.  But it's all enough of a threat to stay on your toes through the afternoon and evening.