Vermont Snow Cover Likely Deepest In Years

House in St. Albans, Vermont slowly disappearing behind
big mounds of snow. A couple piles on the edge
of my driveway are now seven feet tall.

The weekend snowstorm brought the amount of snow on the ground in most of Vermont to the deepest level in years.  

Snow cover is now arguably the deepest it's been since either 2017 or 2019 in much of Vermont. Maybe even before that in a few spots. 

A large number of Vermont towns have at least two feet of snow on the ground. A few towns are at or above three feet. Greensboro reported 39 inches on the ground Monday morning. Westfield had a 38-inch snow cover while Sutton had a mere 34 inches.

In Burlington, the snow depth reached 19 inches on Monday. The last time Burlington had a deeper snow depth was on one day, March 15, 2017, the day after the big Pi Day Blizzard that year. The deepest snow cover on record in Burlington, by the way, is 33 inches. 

Up near the top of Mount Mansfield, there was an impressive 95 inches of snow on the ground, compared to the average for the date of 61 inches. Only four of the past 70 winters had more snow at the Mount Mansfield stake on February 17 than this year. 

Very little snow is in the forecast for the next several days so those deep totals will probably settle a few inches this week. On the other hand, temperatures are forecast to remain below freezing until probably Monday. And even then, it'll only get into the 30s. 

As irrefutable proof that I am indeed 100 percent bat
crap crazy, yes, I hand shoveled this snow canyon
that is my driveway in St. Albans, Vermont. 

The snow cover has been aided by a lack of thaws. It has only reached 40 degrees twice this year so far in Burlington. The last time it happened was on January 18. when it barely reached 40.  With only brief mini-thaws, the snow cover has been able to build and build. 

The snow is deep, but we're not breaking any records here in Vermont. 

Way back in 1829, according to David Ludlum's Vermont weather book, there was 60 inches of snow on the ground in Newfane. 

After a large February snowstorm in 1952, the mid-February snow depth reached 40 inches in Northfield and 48 inches in Somerset. 

The record snowy winter of 1970-71 led to some incredible snow depths by early March. Orange, Vermont 88 inches of snow on the ground on March 7, while Montpelier reached a depth of 70 inches. 

We have time this winter to build up a deeper snow cover if more storm comes along, but the season is now working against us.

As average temperatures warm as we head toward the month of March and spring, it's getting easier and easier for temperatures to rise above freezing. 

The normal  high temperature in Burlington on February 1 was 29 degrees. Today, February 18, the average is 32 degrees. By March 1, a normal day in Burlington would bring a high temperature of 36 degrees.

Your yard my be buried beneath two or more feet of snow right now, and your snow banks might be taller than you are.  Believe it or not, though, it won't be long before you see the grass on  your lawn again.