New Year's Eve Day: Vermont's Transition Back To Winter Starts Tonight With Tons Of Mountain Snow

The National Weather Service is still expected a ton more
snow over the next couple of days in the Green
Mountains and Adirondacks, and western New
York snow belt areas. Lower elevations will
get little, consisted with earlier forecasts. 

 It was actually a strangely electric New Year's Eve up and down the East Coast as lots of thunderstorms blossomed with a dynamic storm that's setting the stage for huge pattern shift toward winter for the eastern half to two thirds of the United States.  

Some of the storms from Virginia to southern Connecticut were strong to severe with wind damage and hail reported in many areas, especially in Virginia and West Virginia.  Lightning strikes were reported as far north as southern Vermont.

Aside from intense lake effect snows in the usual spots near the Great Lakes and some very deep snow near mountain summits in northern New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, the initial cold spell won't be all that bad for early January. 

But it does look like the cold will intensify as we get into the second week of January. And possibly even get worse during the third week, but we don't know that for sure yet.  It looks like this won't be the type of mostly mild January many of us have gotten used to in the United States in recent years. 

VERMONT EFFECTS

Here in the Green Mountain State, the initial wave of rain and snow in some spots, passed through overnight and this morning.  Away from the lower valleys, quite a few places in Vermont managed to get a coating of wet snow, with a  few inches up high in the mountains to start things off. 

Some places look like winter again already 

I'm also noticing some patches of dense fog, especially in the northern Champlain Valley, so visibility will be a problem at times on the roads even without much rain or snow midday. 

A bit of a lull was taking shape by mid morning, as a second storm began to form along the New England coast. This will be the one that will blast us all with a lot of wind, and bury the Green Mountains and Adirondacks in a lot of snow.

Sorry, valley dwellers, it still looks like the lowest elevations should mostly miss out on the snow.

Later this afternoon and evening, rain should redevelop in the valleys as the New England coastal storm takes hold. It'll be snow in the mountains, and that snow will reach the lowest elevations as we head into this evening.

That's the best chance for the Champlain and lower Connecticut Valleys to get at least a white coating. Also, if you have to get somewhere, I'd do it now, or by mid afternoon at the latest to avoid most of the snow and ice that might accumulate on the roads. 

As the storm comes to an almost stall over southeastern Quebec, we're still looking at that classic upslope snowstorm scenario in the Green Mountains.  Northwest winds will be so strong that the heavier snow will hit the western slopes and summits as usual, but also extend a little bit onto the eastern slopes. 

A winter storm warning is still up for the central and northern Green Mountains and a good portion of far northern Vermont away from Lake Champlain.  While most places in the winter storm warning zone can expect a good 6 to 14 inches of snow, some of the central and northern Green Mountains could really get plastered.

From about Sugarbush north, that means one to two feet of new snow on the ski areas, with two feet most likely around Jay Peak.

As I said last night, though, the snow and blowing snow will make it tough to actually get to the ski areas Thursday. While driving conditions won't be the worst ever in the valleys, expect whiteouts in spots in the mountains. 

Plus the wind might be strong enough to prompt lift holds on some of the ski areas.

Those winds will gust to 45 mph for many of us, and 50 to even 55 mph on the eastern slopes of the Green Mountains. Combined with the snow, that could set off some power outages. 

Blustery, chilly weather should last for several days heading into early next week, with little new snow in the valleys, but periodic fluff bombs of light snow in the mountains almost daily.