Pretty Impressive Snows On Vermont Mountain Peaks, Frost/Freeze Up Next

A traffic camera caught a motorist making their way
through a winter wonderland at around 7:15 this
morning along Route 242 near Westfield, Vermont.

While most of Vermont dealt with cold rain showers and maybe a few wet snowflakes overnight, the mountain summits really piled up the snow.  

SNOWFALL

I don't have too many specific reports yet, but the National Weather Service estimates a good six to nine inches of fresh summit atop peaks like Mount Mansfield and Jay. 

The stake near the top of Mount Mansfield had an accumulation of four inches before a round of occasionally heavy snow showers rolled through last evening. Video showed a very heavy snow squall amid fall foliage at the Bolton Valley Ski Area last night.  

Motorists traveling through high elevation roads like Sherburne Pass along Route 4 near Killington, Route 17 in Buels Gore and Routes 242 and 105 near Westfield and Jay Peak encountered winter driving conditions at times overnight. 

The snow had pretty much melted off those roads as of 8 a.m., so I don't anticipate travel trouble. 

Aside from a few more mountain snow flurries and valley sprinkles, the precipitation is pretty much done. It will remain mostly to completely cloudy north through the day. Some sun will break out south, but it will remain chilly.  

Most places will stay in the 40s, although a few spot 50 degree readings might show up in so-called "warmer" valleys.  That sets us up for probably the end of a prolonged growing season tonight. 

Still, today and tomorrow look like great days for some spoilage viewing, especially the first half of Thursday, when sunshine will light up the mountain snow before beginning to melt it.

FROST/FREEZE

Virtually all of Vermont will be near or below freezing overnight and early Thursday except maybe right near Lake Champlain. 

Despite some still-healthy outdoor plants in most of Vermont, you won't see any frost or freeze warnings in areas outside the Champlain Valley and valleys in the southern parts of the state.

That's because the National Weather Service doesn't issue frost and freeze advisories in areas where the growing season should have ended by now. For many, this first of the season upcoming cold night is coming quite a bit later in the autumn than usual. 

So, places like Montpelier, St. Johnsbury, Morrisville, Stowe and everywhere else in northern Vermont will get below freezing tonight without those advisories.l 

A frost advisory IS in effect in the Champlain Valley as most places there should get pretty close to 32 degrees. Remember, you can get a frost if temperatures officially stay just above freezing.  On calm, clear nights, like what we anticipate the early morning hours of Thursday to be like, temperatures are usually measured five feet off the ground. It might be 33 or 34 at the thermometer, but at your feet, frost is forming on the grass.

In Rutland County, a freeze warning is up because there, temperatures are forecast to dip below 32 degrees. 

THE WARMUP

We are still anticipating a warm up starting a little bit Thursday afternoon and really hitting in earnest starting Friday. It's dry air, so nights will still be chilly and potentially frosty through Friday night and Saturday night. 

Days will warm up nicely into the 60s. By early next week, some low 70s seem like they will pop up. Indian Summer indeed.  It's all being caused by one big honking huge high pressure system that is initially bringing us the cold air but will move a little east and pull up some balmy air from the southwest by the weekend. 

This high pressure system will also bring us plenty of clear skies. During this time, it'll be worth it to take a look at the western sky at twilight, a little after sunset to catch a glimpse of comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which should be visible for the next week or two in the evenings when it's not cloudy.  

Unfortunately we missed the best view of the comet because during these recent cloudy days, the moon didn't interfere with the view. A waxing moon in the coming days might wash out the light of the come some, making it a little harder to see.

The warm air is beginning to look like it might not last as long as originally anticipated, with a new cold front possible by Wednesday, But at least at this point, the air behind that front doesn't look super cold, so it will still be pretty nice. 

Pretty much no rain is in the forecast until at least Wednesday. So far, it looks like if it does end up raining with that anticipated old front next week, it won't amount to much at all.