2023 Was Quite A Year Of Weather Extremes In Vermont

Floodwaters pour over a dam along the Winooski River
in Essex Junction, Vermont on July 11 during the
state's extreme summer floods. 

Well, that was something. 

The year 2023 was really a bit much for Vermont in the weather department, wasn't it?  

If I had to go back through history, before 2023, I would spitball and say 1998 and 2011 were two of the most whacked out years for weather extremes in Vermont. I'd say 2023 is definitely on par with those two severe years.

I'm struck by the diversity of weather extremes we did have in 2023.  Most involved heat and rain, but there was a couple notable cold spells thrown in there as well. 

The elephant in the room is of course the extreme floods of July 10 and 11. I'd put that event easily in the top five list of worst floods in the modern era. The flooding and subsequent downpours brought July's total rainfall in hard-hit Montpelier to 12.06, its wettest month on record. 

I'm not even going to get into the July 10-11 flood here. I could go on all day about that. The National Weather Service in South Burlington has a great review of it, so I'll let them have the fun with that. 

Beyond that, there were so many big weather events in 2023 that I'm sure to miss a few of them. But, excluding July 10-11 here is a review of Vermont's top weather events of 2023:

 Intense Cold Feb-3-4

A brief New England arctic outbreak hit during an otherwise very warm winter. Boston had a record low of 10 below, its coldest temperature since 1957. The summit of Mount Washington had a record low 47 below and a record low wind chill of minus 108 degrees.  

Intense cold stirred up steam devils on Lake Champlain 
on February 3, as seen from South Burlington. 

Here in Vermont, temperatures during the afternoon and evening of February 3 dropped into the teens and 20s below zero, with wind chills in the 30s and 40s below. 

The bitter air over the still open waters of Lake Champlain produced many steam devils and some waterspouts. 

Less than two weeks after the arctic blast, record warmth returned to Vermont. 

Extreme Heat, April 13-15

New England, including Vermont had unprecedented mid-April heat, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees as far north as the southeastern corner of Vermont. Burlington reached 88 degrees on April 13 by far the earliest in the season it has gotten so hot. Another record high of 85 was set on April 15.

The early heat prompted plants and crops to grow much earlier than normal, helping lead to the next big event. 

Hard Freeze/Agricultural Disaster May 18. 

A brief, record cold snap hit on May 18, causing a severe agricultural disaster in Vermont. Burlington hit a record low of 29 degrees for the date. An unconfirmed report of 14 degrees came in from Enosburg  Falls. Confirmed lows include 17 in North Troy, 20 degrees in Lyndonville and 21 degrees in South Lincoln and Waitsfield. 

Southern Vermont also got into the mid-20s.  Some apple orchards lost almost their entire crop. There was extensive damage to vineyards, along with fruit crops such as strawberries. Vermont was declared an agricultural disaster area. 

Early June Heat.

Burlington reached 96 degrees on June 1, the hottest for so early in the season. Dry, hot conditions raised fears of a flash drought developing. But by the end of the month, we were building up toward our  eventual flood disasters. 

Thick smoke from Canadian wildfires reduces visibility
in South Hero, Vermont on June 25. 

June 25 Smoke Attack

The worst in a summer long barrage of smoky, polluted air hit Vermont all caused by Canadian wildfires, reduced visibilities to two miles or less and prompted health alerts.  Air quality in Vermont was listed as "very unhealthful." Similar conditions hit earlier in the month around June 5-6.

July 7 Precursor Flood 

Torrential and severe thunderstorms swept much of Vermont on July 7, helping soak the ground and set the stage for the July 10-11 disaster.

Damage on July 7 was extensive enough. A large mudslide closed Route 4 in Killington and caused damage to homes and businesses along the slopes of the Green Mountains in Killington and surrounding towns. 

Other flood and storm damage was reported in Washington County. 

A microburst over Lake Champlain during a severe
weather and flash flood outbreak on July 13. 

July 13 and 16 Worsen Vermont Damage

Within a couple day so Vermont's devastating flood, more damaging storms swept into the Green Mountain State.

The new round of storms on July 13 caused flash flooding in Orwell, Castleton, Belmont and South Lincoln, among other places. 

Several roads, like Routes 30, 73 and 22A in southwestern Vermont went underwater. Orwell had 2.1 inches of rain in just 75 minutes. 

A relatively weak, but long-tracked tornado touched down in Benson, with top winds of 85 mph and a 13-mile track. Flooded roads hampered National Weather Service meteorologists as they tried to investigate the storm's aftermath. 

Torrential rains on July 16 caused additional signficant flood damage in the Northeast Kingdom and in eastern Chittenden County. Additional flooding hit eastern Franklin County on July 21.

Another Round Of Flooding August 3-4

Yet another episode of severe flooding hit some sections of Vermont on these dates. Drenching thunderstorms on the evening of August 3 caused severe flash floods in and near Middlebury, Vermont. The flooding blocked parts of Route 7, 116 and 125 in Addison County, and caused serious damage to some homes and business. A car was swept away in the flooding, but its occupants were rescued. 

The Middlebury Police Department was temporarily evacuated due to flooding. 

On August 4, Rutland was hit by flash flooding, forcing the evacuation of residents in several neighborhoods. Springfield also reported home and business damage from flooding that day. 

Thunderstorms at sunset cast an eerie glow on northwestern
Vermont at the tail end of a record early September heat wave.

Sept 4-8, Record Heat, Storms 

A late season heat wave hit Vermont, bringing temperatures in the state to or above 90 degrees for three or four consecutive days, depending on location. Burlington hit a record 92 on September 6. 

Severe thunderstorms caused scattered damage in northern Vermont on September 7 and in southern Vermont on September 8. 

Spectacular October Heat 

All-time record highs for the entire month of October were set on the 4th of that month. Burlington's record was 86 degrees, besting the old record of 85 in 1947 and 1949.  It was one of three consecutive days in Burlington with record highs. Montpelier tied its October record of 84 degrees.

Wet October

Burlington had a rare October with two calendar days having more than two inches of rain - on the 7th and 21st. The month's total was 6.41 inches, the third wettest on record. Luckily, this time, the flooding from the heavy rains was pretty minor. 

Surprise November Storm 

What had been expected to be a rainstorm mixed with wet snow turned out to primarily wet snow in many mid and upper elevations of Vermont. The result was lots of tree and power line damage, cutting power to more than 34,000 Vermont homes and businesses. 

December 18-19 Flood

As the end of the year drew near, another destructive flood hit Vermont. The Winooski and Lamoille rivers went into major flood stage, and communities like Barre and Cambridge were hit hard again. The Mad River Valley, largely spared in July, had significant damage. 2 to 4 inches of rain, record high temperatures and rapid mountain snowmelt led to this disaster. 

And now it's 2024.  I always like to see interesting weather, but I think we can all agree 2023 was a little too interesting. Let's hope for a calmer New Year! 

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