Vermont Super Soaker Soaking Even More Than Originally Thought

Before this weekend's storm arrived and as dark clouds
gathered Friday, one last splash of sun lit up this
colorful hillside in St. Albans. 

When I got up before dawn this Saturday morning, it was really raining out there.  We've already gotten more rain than I thought we would up until this point, And there's a lot more to go. 

Despite the extra rain,  I'll avoid spooking jittery Vermonters to say it still doesn't look like there will be any serious flooding. But yes, it's a soggy weekend.  Friday was a tale of two very different types of weather in Vermont. 

In some parts of Vermont and surrounding areas, the action started Friday.  The southeastern half of the state had a cool and showery Friday,  with some bursts of  rather heavy rain in far southeastern Vermont in the evening.

In northwestern Vermont, Friday turned out mostly cloudy, but dry. Dark clouds mixed with breaks of low angle sun made some dramatic, gorgeous views of very late season peak foliage remaining for now in the Champlain Valley. 

From roughly midnight through the time I'm writing this after 7 a.m. a wide band of moderate to at times heavy rain was moving north to south over the western half of Vermont and eastern New York. Rain was also falling further east but was lighter.

Totals so far are impressive.  By 7 a.m., Burlington had already picked up just under an inch and a half of rain.  The city will probably receive at least another inch before this is over. 

For Vermont as a whole, expect a total of 1.5 to a little over three inches of rain by the time things finally end Sunday night.  This will be the second impressively wet storm of the month. 

If you want to look for a bright side, at least the ski areas will have plenty of ground water, and certainly no drought conditions for when they start making snow for the slopes. 

REST OF TODAY

The rain will continue to drone on all day. Sometimes, it will come down pretty heavily, other times it will taper to sprinkles and patchy drizzle, and yet other times it will be fairly light but still drenching enough. This state of affairs will continue into tonight. 

It will be cooler than it's been, with temperatures holding in the 50s. 

The Northeast River Forecast Center has the most rain
from this storm over Vermont and New Hampshire.
Click on the map to make it bigger and easier to see
Widespread two to three inches of rain expected.

Although no widespread flooding is expected, I do wonder about storm drains and culverts with all the fallen and falling leaves.  Clogged drains in urban areas could create some flooding on streets.

As I mentioned yesterday, leaves swept downstream in rising brooks and streams sometime encounter obstructions like branches and culvert edges.  The leaves then pack together and form dams, which can back up  and divert water and erode driveways and back roads and such.

Also, i these leaf dams break, they can unleash a very, very localized flash flood which could cause some issues. 

This is not any kind of serious threat like we experienced in the summer. Still, after such a wet year, it would be a bummer to have you suffer some isolated damage to your property. If you see one of these leaf dams starting to cause trouble, maybe grab a rake or a shovel and break the leaf dam up. But only if it's safe to do so.

Main rivers across Vermont will rise fairly sharply by Sunday, but won't go into flood stage, so we're safe there. 

RAW SUNDAY

Sunday still looks pretty awful. It won't rain nearly as much as it did today, became the storm will be departing into southeastern Canada.

However, you know how often in the winter, after a nor'easter, wrap around moisture keeps light snow going for the whole next day after the main storm, especially in the mountains?  That state of affairs hits Sunday, but it will be just a little too warm for snow, 

Warm is not the word you'll use to describe Sunday, though. We should see frequent light showers or even a steady light rain in spots. Temperatures will never get past the mid-40s during the day. Such a cool day is usually not odd for late October. However, up until now, this autumn has been ridiculously warm.  Sunday will be by far the coldest day of the season.  So it will take some getting used to.

Especially since the chill and the rain will be accompanied by blustery north to northwest winds. Like I said yesterday, Sunday will be an excellent day to take in some NFL games. If you're not into that, I wonder what Netflix or Hulu has to offer?

On the mountaintops, it might get cold enough for a little snow, sleet or even freezing rain. Yuck!  Don't worry, that should only be a problem up on the summits, not where pretty much all of us live.

It gets better, but stays cool Monday.  I'm beginning to doubt forecasts of widespread frosts in at least some parts of Vermont Monday night and Tuesday morning. I think places away from the Champlain Valley still have a decent risk of a frost, which for many will be the latest on record.

Chances seem to be increasing that the Champlain Valley will escape a frost/freeze, but to be on the safe side, I'd still take sensitive plants indoors  

The forecast for upcoming week has more question marks than usual, but if this forecast pans out, the Champlain Valley would remain frost-free at least until next weekend.