Vermont's Last Winter Week? This MIGHT Be It

A springlike sunset with grass starting to turn green
this past Friday in St. Albans, Vermont. With astronomical
spring arriving this week, we will take a multi-day
plunge into wintry weather. 

 Astronomical spring starts at 11:06 p.m. this Tuesday, March 19.

After a springlike winter, the arrival of the new season will plunge us Vermonters back down into winter.   

Don't worry, it won't be terribly painful.

A change in the weather pattern is going to put at least a temporary stop to an incredibly warm March. Up until now, it's been on pace to become one of the top three warmest Marches on record.

After this week, maybe not.

The first of a series of cold fronts is coming through in scattershot fashion today. It will still be on the mild side, with temperatures well into the 40s, maybe flirting with 50.

Monday will be seasonable with scattered rain and snow showers. It'll get up to near 40. So meh weather to start the week. Then winter hits.

REST OF WEEK

Tuesday looks chilly, then a reinforcing cold front comes blasting through Wednesday with a batch of snow showers. Accumulations won't amount to much in the valleys. But between tonight and Thursday the mountains could pick up a few inches. A little late season catch up snow for them, I guess.

Then, on Thursday and Friday, it will be downright cold for this time of year. On both days, high temperatures won't get above freezing for many of us. That'll be the first time that's happened since late February. Lows will be well down in the teens. 

I don't think the cold will destroy too many of the early season plants that have prematurely started to come up in Vermont gardens.  Magnolia buds might be nipped and blooms on some crocuses might not survive.

But the green shoots of crocuses, daffodils and other plants that have emerged are still young enough to skate through the cold weather just fine. 

The air this week will be nippy, but nothing all that odd for March. We've just gotten used to the strange balminess of February and March this year. 

LAST WINTER WEEK?

Even though we had a winter that wasn't, many of us still want to emerge into full-blown spring.  The chill might last into next weekend but there are hopeful signs that it could start to warm up again after that. 

This could well be the last week of the season that feels like winter, but don't count on it. 

Historically, we've endured some pretty wintry weather in late March and April. Not to depress you, but here are some examples:

In 1923, the final week of the month featured three mornings that were below 0 in Burlington, including minus 8 on the 29th. That's the latest subzero reading on record.

On April 7, 1972, Burlington endured a high of 24 degrees and a low of 2 above. That's colder than average for mid-January.

And in April, 1975, measurable snow fell on each of the six consecutive days from April 3-8. Between April 4 and 9 that year, only one afternoon made it above freezing and then only to 33 degrees. And the first overnight thaw of April, 1975 didn't hit until the 19th. 

So yeah, if you complain about this upcoming week, you haven't seen the worst that a Vermont spring could bring.