Wednesday Vermont Storm Update: Mostly Rain Now, But Still Icy

Looks like roughly an inch accumulation in St.
Albans, Vermont. Unlike in much of Vermont
the stuff on the ground is almost entirely sleet,
with very little snow mixed in. 

 As of 6 a.m. the snow, sleet and freezing rain that we had overnight in Vermont had mostly turned to a plain, cold rain in most areas, but that doesn't mean it's all perfect on the roads out there. 

The National Weather Service office in South Burlington points out that road surface temperatures in many areas is still below freezing. 

Which means, if it's raining and 33 or 34 degrees out there, that rain might still be creating icy roads. Especially on bridges and overpasses.

Some snow and mixed precipitation was still ongoing up in the Northeast Kingdom. 

The winter weather advisory for Vermont away from the Champlain Valley remains in effect until 1 p.m. due that lingering ice. 

Road crews are out. The Vermont Agency of Transportation plow finder map looked pretty busy as of 6 a.m. with an army of trucks across the state. One of their plows just passed my house ten minutes ago. (I live along a state highway).

The rain we're getting this morning will gradually taper off, and temperatures will climb a few more degrees by afternoon.  Road conditions will continue to improve this morning.  If you have Thanksgiving travel plans, I'd still caution against getting an early start.

Wait until mid morning at least and roads that were iffy at daybreak will be much better by then. 

It's a little early to see snow reports, as there aren't many to come by.  At least in some areas, there was more sleet and a little more freezing rain than expected and a little less snow. Here in St. Albans, aside from some snow at the onset of precipitation after 7 p.m. last night, all of the precipitation was sleet with a little freezing rain. 

Points east and south did have more in the way of snow, as expected. Through midnight, Burlington reported 2.4 inches of new snow.  So far, the big winner is Ascutney, in southeastern Vermont with six inches. East Barre reported 4.9 inches and Waterbury Center 4.5.

My early reading on this was forecasts before the storm were pretty accurate, with the most snow in the east slopes of the Green Mountains in central and southern Vermont. Though a changeover to rain was mercifully a bit earlier than expected. 

All in all, it was a typical November nuisance storm. 

The rest of today won't be nice, but at least it will be pretty harmless. By afternoon, overcast, sprinkles and patchy drizzle will rule.  

Thanksgiving Day looks quiet and seasonable, with maybe even some sun.  But winter is still being an insistent early bird. 

Friday looks quite cold behind a cold front. Snow showers could mess with the roads again, so Black Friday shoppers ought to be aware of that. Highs then will only make it into the 20s to maybe near 30. Temperatures for much of Vermont will probably remain below freezing until sometime on Sunday. 

The next storm risk is Sunday night or Monday. It's not looking huge, but there's not a lot of consensus yet on exactly what will happen. Stay tuned on that one!