Snow Maybe Even On Vermont Valley Floors Tonight, Maybe Icy Spots On A Few Roads?

The National Weather Service is predicting a bit of snow
in Vermont tonight, even on valley floors. 

 We just might have our first real bout with winter in Vermont tonight. 

True, it won't be much of a bout, but there could be a little snow accumulation. Even on some valley floors. 

The whole thing is a little jab to remind us winter is on the way, despite the never ending summer we've kind of had this autumn

Tonight's expected snow will be unlike our lovely snoliage we had in mid-October, which missed valleys but dumped up to a foot of snow on the summits.

Nobody in Vermont will get much snow tonight, but valley floors in central and northern Vermont could see a thin dusting to a half inch, while the highest elevations will clock in with up to two inches.

THE SETUP

If you went outside today, you know how blustery and chilly it was. Temperatures were only in the 40s to near 50, and winds gusting to 30 mph made it feel chillier.

Those broken clouds you saw all day were thickening up late this afternoon, and some sprinkles were already coming down in spots. Those sprinkles were snow flurries in the mountains. I already noticed a dusting of snow on the ground in the traffic cams along high elevation Route 242 in Westfield.

A disturbance is coming in from the west, which is adding to the moisture in the air. That will increase the showers this evening. The air is too dry to produce anything heavy, but most places in the northern half of Vermont will see things get damp.

Meanwhile, a new cold front is pressing in from southern Quebec. The chilly air with this thing will change the rain to snow in many places, including valleys. 

You'll actually need to watch it if you're driving tonight, especially in high elevations. It's going to get below freezing pretty fast later tonight, and there could actually be a couple icy patches here and there. 

It's a reminder to get your snow tires on if you haven't already. 

Screen grab from a traffic camera along high elevation
Route 242 in Westfield, Vermont late this afternoon
showed a bit of snow on the ground already.

Skies will clear in the pre-dawn hours, and we'll have the coldest morning of the autumn so far. Everybody will be in the 20s. A hard freeze. It's probably not worth trying to rescue anything still growing in the garden this time. 

There might even be some upper teens in the cold hollows of the north. 

IN PERSPECTIVE 

The National Weather Service in South Burlington is actually going with an uncertain forecast of 0.2 inches of snow in Burlington. If that happens, it will be the first measurable October snow there since 2011, when 0.1 inch fell on October 30 that year.

If Burlington gets just a trace, that will be a little late, since the average date of the first flurries there is October 15. Still, with our recent run of warm autumns, if Burlington gets a few snow flurries tonight, that will be the first October snow since 2020.

OUTLOOK

This bout with quote, unquote winter won't last long. Monday will turn out to be a bright, sunshiny day with much lighter winds. Highs will only be in the 40s, which is definitely cooler than average for this time of year. But the sun and lack of wind will make it feel nicer than it did today.

After another cold night Monday night, a sharp warm up is in store and we might be looking at record warmth by Wednesday and Thursday. 

More on that in a post I'm planning to write up Monday morning.