New Years Eve Storm Update: Ski Areas To Get Their Snow Back, Valleys, Not So Much

Looked like spring in my St. Albans, Vermont back yard
this afternoon, but changes are coming very soon that
will put us solidly back into winter. 

This year will end up being the warmest on record, as measured in Burlington, so it was fitting that New Year's Eve was so warm. 

(I'll have much more on our warm 2024 in a post tomorrow).

We've got a new year coming in, so we have a new weather regime coming in.  Expect lots of cold weather for much of January, starting within a couple days. 

In terms of snow, it still looks like valleys will be missing out, while the Green Mountains will get very, very white. 

I figure an evening update is due since people will be traveling for the holiday. The forecast since this morning hasn't changed too much, though. 

For those out celebrating tonight, it looks pretty safe, at least in terms of weather. Rain will be spreading in overnight, but might  hold off until after midnight, especially in northern Vermont. The highest elevations might see some snow, but most of us will start off with rain. 

NEW YEARS DAY

If you remember what Thanksgiving was like, New Years Day will be pretty similar in Vermont. Snow will gradually work downhill from the highest elevations, gradually changing the rain to snowflakes until valley floors start seeing the snow, probably in the late afternoon.

Slippery, unpleasant driving conditions will gradually spread over more and more Vermont roads as the day wears on.  You might not want to get up early on New Year's Day, but the best travel weather will be in the morning, when most of us will still be raining. 

It won't amount to much in the valleys, as the snow should tend to taper off for a time in the evening. But overnight and on Thursday, some of us get a nice, big snowstorm.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT/THURSDAY

Our storm still looks like it'll slow down as it moves across Maine and into Quebec Wednesday night and Thursday. It's setting us up for a classic upslope snowstorm in the Adirondacks and especially the central and northern Green Mountains. 

In the Champlain Valley, especially close to the lake, it won't snow much at all. Flurries, basically. Same is true for the Connecticut River Valley, especially south of about Wells River.

The Green Mountains will get plastered, with generally more snow the further you head north. Almost the entire ridge line of the Green Mountains should get at least eight inches of snow, with a foot or more in  many northern Vermont mountains. The Jay Cloud will work overtime, and I'm still expecting up to two feet of new snow up there by Friday. 

It's also going to be really windy everywhere later Wednesday night and Thursday.  Many of us will see gusts to at least 40 mph. Some areas along the eastern slopes of the Green Mountains could see gusts to 50 mph. 

That could lead to isolated power outages. The blowing snow in the heavy snow zones will be absolutely brutal.  Expect some whiteout conditions along roads in the Green Mountains. 

You might be tempted to go up to the ski resorts Thursday for a powder day. Just be warned, it probably will be tough to get there, even if the valley highways aren't bad at all. I also suspect some ski areas might have some wind holds on the lifts. I also think back country skiers might worry about an avalanche risk on steep slopes, too.