Monday Morning Vermont Storm Update: All Over Except The Flooding

Rising waters of the Missisquoi River in Enosburg Falls,
Vermont Sunday afternoon. The river, like others in 
Vermont, would later hit flood stage due to melting
snow and briefly heavy Sunday night rains. 

To be honest, we in Vermont only got the tail end of that incredible storm that left a trail of damage and death across much of the United States.  

Even so, the storm was so dynamic things got pretty impressive around here, with winds, weird temperatures, impressive storms and of course, flooding.  

In the warm air ahead of the storm, winds gusted as high as 60 mph in Burlington. 

The high temperature of 70 degrees in Burlington Sunday would have been a record high pretty much any day this time of year except yesterday. That's because it fell on the anniversary of a bonkers 78 degree reading in 1990.  

Sunday's low temperature of 50 degrees in Burlington was a record for highest minimum temperature for the date. The weather - aside from the wind - was typical for late May,  not mid-March. 

It was also pretty strange this time of year to see several severe thunderstorm warnings in the western Adirondacks and central New York. 

There was even a tornado warning or in central New York, around Oneida County and in northwest New York between Watertown and Massena. Very strange for March! 

Those storms "weakened" by the time they got to Vermont last evening, and lightning had pretty much disappeared from them, but they still packed a punch. Some probably very nearly officially qualified as severe. Part of the criteria of severe storms is for winds gusting to at least 58 mph. 

It had to come close to that when the storms roared through my area around St. Albans.  Power outages during the passage of the storm rose to about 3,600 in Vermont, though power had been restored to almost everybody by dawn. 

Damage reports include  a tree down across Interstate 89 northbound in Georgia. 

FLOODING

I'm burying the headline, though, as the real story is flooding. Several flood warnings were in effect this morning across Vermont. 

The most impressive - and I expected this - is along the Missisquoi River. The river is forecast to crest in  North Troy at around 11.9 feet, just shy of major flood stage.  Parts of Route 100 between Westfield and Newport and near Troy will be closed if it isn't already. Other low-lying roads along the Missisquoi all the way to Swanton will probably close, too. 

Missisquoi River at North Troy is forecast to flirt
with major flood stage today. 

The Otter Creek in Center Rutland is expected to flirt with moderate flood stage today. Low lying roads in Wallingford, Clarendon, Rutland, Proctor, Pittsford and probably north of there all the way to near Middlebury will certainly flood and be closed. If they're not closed already. 

The Winooski River at Essex Junction is also expected to reach flood stage today, so low lying and sometimes popular commuter roads in Bolton, Richmond and Williston might be under water or close to it. I'd avoid those areas

High water was also covering part of Route 118 near Eden and Belvidere. 

Other trouble spots include the Barton River near Coventry and the Ottauquechee River in southwest Vermont. 

Most other rivers in Vermont might or might not reach flood stage but they will be running very, very high today. 

This isn't a wholesale, awful disaster like we endured in July and December, 2023 and July, 2024, as I don't anticipate many buildings or houses suffering serious flood damage. 

But you'll want to re-think your traveling routes this morning if you ride takes you to any low lying roads. They could be under water.

And for gawd's sake, if the road is flooded, just turn around and go somewhere else. Most flood deaths are in cars.  Remember, even if you drive into a flood and are miraculously not swept away, the water is literally icy cold. And it's not that warm out, either. 

I noticed this morning that the the Vermont Urban Search and Rescue Team is on standby, staged in Moretown and Colchester in case there is need for any rescues. Pro tip: Don't create a situation where they need to rescue you.

On top of all that it's unusually dark out this morning with areas of dense fog, so you'll want to be careful even roads nowhere near any rivers 

THE FORECAST

It's much cooler today, but still it's nothing odd for March, In fact, it's a little on the warm side.  Rain showers will continue for at least part of the day, especially in eastern Vermont. But the rain should be light, and won't add much to the flooding. 

A new, fairly strong storm will bring us a new spell of balmy weather this week. This storm isn't nearly as strong as the one we just had, but it will be strong enough. It will cause a smattering of severe weather in the South and Midwest, along with more wildfires and possible dust storms in the central and southern Plains. 

For us, it will pump warm air northward, and we should reach the low 60s again in many valleys in Vermont by Wednesday and Thursday. 

The storm will swing another strong cold front through Thursday afternoon or night. We could be looking at more gusty storms with the front, depending on the timing and dynamics along the foot. 

The weather pattern looks like it will shift, at least for awhile behind Thursday's front. Temperatures should trend closer to normal for later in March, (Highs in the upper 30s and 40s, lows in the upper teens and 20s, give or take).  

We could still  have fairly frequent bouts of rain or snow during this new weather regime, but there's hope the storms won't be as extreme as the one we just had.