Fire And Frost Again In Vermont, Fire Risk To Last Longer

Leaves are coming off the trees, like these maples
near Richmond, Vermont on Tuesday. The leaf
litter is adding to the fire risk that the 
Vermont drought has created. 

Henry the Weather Dog, a native of Texas, didn't stay outside nearly as long as he usually does when he went outdoors early in the morning. 

He didn't like the temperatures near 40 degrees here in St. Albans, especially considering the chilly north breeze bringing wind chills into the 30s.  It doesn't bode well for winter, but we'll deal with it. 

Those chilly breezes are a sign that frost and a higher fire danger are back to harass us in Vermont. 

FIRE DANGER

The strongest breezes today will be in the Champlain Valley, due to the funneling effect of the Green Mountains and Adirondacks. Those gusts should go at at least 25 mph. The skies will stay clear, and the relative humidity will drop to around 30 percent. 

There are a lot more dried, dead leaves on the ground than there was in mid-September, so there's more fuel for any fire starts. The wind and low humidity will make any fires that start spread fast. 

The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement alerting the public to the fire danger. 

The fire danger is very high today in
western Vermont and the lower 
Connecticut River valley, and
high elsewhere in the state today.

The fire danger is high all over Vermont, of course, but the states's Forests, Parks and Recreation department lists the danger as very high west of the Green Mountains and in the lower Connecticut River valley and high elsewhere.  

The risk of fires will keep going at least through Monday, as sunny skies and dry air will continue through the weekend. 

Winds will be lighter, so fires that start might not spread as quickly as it would if it stayed windy. But you'll surely see reports of new brush fires here and there in and near Vermont. 

You'll need to be especially careful with fire for the foreseeable future.

FROST RISK AGAIN

As mentioned it was chilly this morning.  Most of us got down well into the 30s, with some temperatures near 40 near Lake Champlain. 

It won't warm up all that much this afternoon.  It's the first day of October, and fittingly, it'll be a classic autumn day. That breeze will add to the crispness of the air. 

High temperatures will only reach the 50s with maybe a few low 60s in southern Vermont valleys. That'll be the chilliest day of the year so far, which isn't saying much. It's been warm lately, so today's weather seems cold. But the expected highs today aren't at all odd for the beginning of October.  (I'll have a complete climate summary for September in a post later today).  

Today's brisk weather will set us up for a frosty night. A frost advisory is in effect for all of Vermont overnight and early Thursday except for Grand Isle County and the Northeast Kingdom. 

The lack of any frost of freeze alerts in the Northeast Kingdom is because the growing season is considering over up that way, so there's no need for such alerts

A warming trend will start tomorrow, but it will still be a little cool, with highs in the 58 to 65 degree rage

But that warming trend means business. By Sunday and Monday, warmer valleys could reach 80 degrees. That will bring us close to record highs for this time of year. 

There's a chance of showers in about a week from now, but whatever comes along won't be impressive and won't solve the drought. It will also probably turn much colder again in about a week. Summer is over, after all.