Sunday In Vermont: Dry, Gusty Fire Risk: Monday In Vermont: A Quick Soaking

The latest National Weather Service forecast rainfall
map for now through early Tuesday. A nice inch or so
over central and southern Vermont, with three quarters
of an inch north, with less in the Northeast Kingdom
No drought buster, but a bit of a help. 
We'll take it!!

 Today and tomorrow in Vermont will be polar opposites of each other, at least in terms of the weather.

Today, we'll need to worry about drought, gusty winds, dry air and wildfires. On Monday, it will be downpours and windy again. 

TODAY

Out ahead of our badly needed rain, the wind is really picking up out there, especially in the Champlain Valley and high elevations. 

It'll be windy enough, and dry enough for the National Weather Service to trigger a somewhat rare red flag warning for central and northern Vermont. 

That means  there's a sky high danger of brush and wildfires. If  a small fire gets going, the wind will make it hard or nearly impossible to control. 

The most dangerous time for fires today are between 1 and 8 p.m. when winds will be strongest and the relative humidity will be lowest. 

The red flag warning might be extended to southern Vermont later this morning. Even if that alert is not extended south today, the fire danger will be way up there. 

Today's is probably the best day this year to be super careful with outdoor fire sources, be they barbecues, campfires, sparks, cigarettes, you name it. We'll remind you again all of Vermont has an outdoor burn ban until further notice. 

Other than the fire risk, enjoy the dry weather and the warmth. Temperatures should get up at least into the low 70s in many areas of the state, especially south and the Champlain Valley. It's not close to record breaking, but still plenty toasty for the third week in October. 

MONDAY RAIN

The bulk of the rain will come at us in a southwest to northeast direction. The band of rain might, if we're lucky, briefly slow down its forward progress right over Vermont, which would be great if it happens. 

In general, we're expecting about three quarters of an inch to an inch of rain, give or take. Parts of southern Vermont might see close to 1.5 inches, and some area of the Northeast Kingdom might only see a half inch. 

Overall, the rainfall totals aren't  huge, but definitely not bad, either. Believe it or not, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has a marginal risk of flash floods over us Monday, because the rain will be briefly heavy. 

That said, I strongly doubt there will be any problems, other than some deep puddles on the roads.  You might also hear a rumble of thunder or two, because this will be a pretty dynamic system. 

Monday does look like a washout, but the period of really heavy rain should be pretty short in any given area of the state. As it stands now, the best chances of heavy rain are from about dawn to early afternoon. The rain could turn lighter and more showery during the afternoon, especially west and south. 

Gusty winds will continue to buffet us,, especially in the morning and along the western slopes of the Green Mountains. 

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the western slopes of the northern Green Mountains from a little after midnight overnight to a little before noon tomorrow. In towns like Bristol, Underhill, Cambridge and Enosburg, winds could gust to 50 mph or a little more, which could send a couple trees or power lines crashing to the ground here and there.

The rest of the week continues to look unsettled, with shower chances every day. Again, no drought buster, but a help!