Surprise! Another Humid, Rain Risk Day In Vermont. Bet It Sounds Familiar. Also N. NY Flood

 

Mammatus clouds over St. Albans, Vermont Saturday
evening.  Turbulence in the anvil clouds at the top
of thunderstorms cause these clouds. Thunderstorms'
were approaching St. Albans when this photo was taken.

UPDATE 12:15 pm.

More stalled or slow moving thunderstorms developed shortly before noon over the flood zone of far northern New York.

Radar images show the storms pretty much just sitting there as of 12:15 p.m. 

The National Weather Service office in South Burlington has issued a new flash flood warning

The warning covers an area well northwest of Plattsburgh along the Canadian border.

Images coming-out of Ellenburg show a campground inundated by floodwaters last night. 

Between three and six inches of rain fell in a short time Saturday night. These new storms are likely to dump an inch per two more rain in a short period of time. Since last night's flash flooding hadn't entirely subsided, it will be easy for new, dangerous flash floods to develop

Far northwestern Vermont got a lot of rain last night two, on the order two to nearly three inches.  I don't think these new storms are a threat. At least for now, they appear to be stationary, or possibly headed toward southern Quebec.

Also, the air is much more stable on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain, which would hinder the development of thunderstorms and downpours.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION

Up in the northwest corner of Vermont, where I live, we managed to get some decent rains out of some evening thunderstorms. Nothing severe, which is nice. 

And since it seemed everybody in the Green Mountain State except the northwest corner got a lot of rain last week, it was nice to have our turn. The rest of Vermont had little if any rain last evening. Burlington reported just 0.04 inches. Montpelier, nada.

The storms were persistent in northeastern New York, prompting flood warnings and some pockets of serious flood damage. Around Ellenburg, New York, campsites were inundated, prompting hasty evacuations.  Sections of several roads in town were washed out, too. 

Several sections of New York State Route 374 near Chazy Lake, west of Plattsburgh, were washed out, as were several secondary roads. 

The storms weakened by the time they got to Vermont.  But rainfall was still impressive in Franklin County. Swanton reported 2.74 inches of rain, St. Albans, 2.25 and Enosburg, 2.24. That amount of rain surely caused some minor washouts and lowland flooding, but it thankfully wasn't quite enough to cause serious problems.    

Lightning caused as few power outages in northwestern Vermont, too. 

We were also treated to mammatus clouds over St. Albans last evening as the storms approached. They look like pouches in the sky. They're usually associated with severe thunderstorms, but last night's weren't. They're kind of rare, at least around here, so it was nice to see, even if the ever-present wildfire smoke dimmed the view a bit. 

Today, even though all of us are at risk of rain, the main show will probably be the southern half of Vermont.

It's the same story you've heard for a week now. It's humid. There's lots of clouds around. Wildfire smoke from Canada lingers.  Most of us will get at least a little rain. A few isolated spots could get enough rain to create some local flood problems.   Not your classic Fourth of July weekend weather you might have wished for,

If you read my posts last week, all the above ought to sound really familiar. 

The best chance for any local flash floods, if they do occur is in the southern half of the state. So keep an eye out. 

Despite the rains, some wildfire smoke lingers. The air quality is better than the unhealthy levels we saw yesterday, but it's still kind of meh. It's still there, and sensitive people with health issues might continue to have problems with the pollution. 

Monday isn't looking all that much better.  Humid,? Check. Clouds?  Check. Smoke? Check, but it will have diminished a little. Showers? Check, but they will be less numerous than today. Still a slight risk of a local flash flood if you get hit by anything persistent. 

FOURTH OF JULY

You'll never believe this. More of the same! 

Any showers and storms that do get going are most likely in the afternoon.  Since most parades are in the morning or very early afternoon, they should squeak through OK.  Even with some hazy sun shining down. 

Bring plenty of fluids because the humidity will sap you. And if you're going to watch a parade, try to snag a spot under a shady tree.

For fireworks displays both Monday and Tuesday night, it's iffy, but I think most of them will be do-able. The showers and storms will be scattered, so either they'll miss where you are, or move away in time. Plus the storms will tend to dissipate after dark.

BEYOND THE FOURTH

More humidity. Maybe a hot spell, too.  It looks like it could reach 90 degrees Wednesday and/or Thursday in some spots. Showers and storms will be few and far between both days, too, so that's a plus. Then it's back to the showery regime by the end of the week. 

A cold front will be approaching and possibly move through next weekend. That could give us relief from the humidity. However, some signs point toward the cold front running out of gas on approach to New England, which would keep the humidity going even longer. 

Sigh.