Wednesday Evening Vermont Update: As Freeze Looms, Deep Snow "Snoliage" Gorgeous, Tourists, Not So Much

Snoliage near Stowe, Vermont this morning. 

 As more reports came in from the mountains of Vermont and New York today, the snow amounts on the summits seemed more and more impressive. 

Especially for October. 

The summit of Jay Peak had a good foot of snow. At Underhill State Park, Vermont, at a 3,300 foot elevation on the upper slopes of Mount Mansfield, 11 inches was measured. Across the pond, at a spot very close to the summit of Whiteface Mountain, the snow was 15 inches deep.

Snow amounts diminished rapidly as you went downhill in elevation. But the snow extended down the slopes far enough to offer a treat to the leap peepers rampaging through Vermont. 

I headed up to Smuggler's Notch and Stowe this morning to check out the snoliage, and everything was predictably stunning with the colored leaves and white snow. There's video proof at the bottom of this post you can check out. 

OH, THOSE TOURISTS

Most of the tourists were happy and great, but some of them made it obvious why some Vermonters roll their eyes at out of state leaf peepers.

What the hell, the dumber variety of tourists give us all a bit of a bemused chuckle. 

There's plenty of pull-offs along Route 108 through Smugglers Notch to stop and take photos. Also the Smuggler's Notch and Stowe ski areas have large parking lots where you can stop, get out of your car and admire the mountains and snow and leaves around you.  

I had to shake my head and laugh, though at the behavior of some tourists. At no fewer than three entrances to large ski area parking lots, tourists pulled their vehicles over across the entrances so that nobody else could enter the parking lots - which each had room for at least 100 cars. 

Some people honked horns trying to get in, but the tourists who blocked the entrances pretended not to hear them.  

Snoliage near Smuggler's Notch, Vermont this morning. 

On a particularly winding part of Route 108 through the notch, somebody stopped in the middle of the road on a blind corner to take pictures. I stopped in time. 

The guy by the stopped SUV kept waving me to go around him, ignoring the fact that there was a line of traffic in the opposite lane coming through. What, he wanted to see a head on collision?

On another blind corner, another SUV parked in the middle of the opposite lane, facing the wrong way.  That held up about two dozen  cars while the two occupants of that stopped car frolicked in the snow on the side of the road. 

At another spot, a car with three young women got stuck in the snow in a pull-off.  Myself and three or four other men tried to help. There was only about three inches of slush beneath the car but whatevs. Her car had bald tires, but what the hell, we were up to the challenge of getting them out and on their way.

And a challenge it was!  We'd clear snow from around her tires, tell the woman to keep her wheels straight and then gradually hit the gas going backwards to get out. She repeatedly turned the wheel sharply and gunned it. 

So yeah, it took awhile. 

At one point, I cleared snow from around the tires with my bare hands, causing one of my fingers to bleed just a tiny bit. As we finally freed the car, I noticed a little of my blood was left on the hood of the car. I can't decide whether I hope the young women notice or don't notice.

Also, at a trailhead, I spotted a woman setting off on an apparent hike in shorts. It was about 35 degrees with a gusty winds. Hope she wasn't going far! 

But the vast majority of the tourists playing in the snow seemed happy, normal and considerate, so that was great. I got there early, and hightailed it out of the Stowe/Smugglers Notch area as traffic really began to pick up late in the morning. It must have been an absolute zoo there this afternoon. 

FROSTY NIGHT

The frost advisory in the Champlain Valley for tonight and early Thursday was upgraded to a freeze warning in most of that area, as temperatures are forecast to get to or a little below freezing. Finish your emergency frost harvest from your garden this evening.

That said, the frost and freeze is conditional on whether it clears up overnight. Clear, calm nights this time of year is how you get frosts and freezes. 

Dry air coming in from the northwest should clear up the thick, low clouds that were over much of Vermont late this afternoon. But there's a chance an inversion could keep them in place.  If that happens, it won't get as cold as forecast.

But if clouds keep your garden from turning into frozen mush tonight, you're not out of the woods. Sure,  it'll be a little warmer under sunshine Thursday and even warmer Friday. But the dry air coming in ensures clear, calm weather Thursday and Friday nights. That opens everyone up to more freezing temperatures, especially Thursday night. 

The literally bright side of all this is, with sunny skies tomorrow, the snow capped mountains and the fall foliage should continue to make the scenery absolutely sublime. 

Let's just hope the tourists behave. 

Video: Snoliage scenes around Stowe and Smugglers Notch, Vermont today. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below click on that.