Vermont Still Mired In Winter Weather, Which Will Continue. Fall Projects On Hold

The snow in my St. Albans, Vermont yard is littered
with leaves that fell from trees after the bulk of this
weeks' snowstorm ended. Of course it's impossible
to clean these up until after the snow melts
If it melts before winter truly sets in. 

 When I woke up this morning, there was roughly half as much snow on the ground as there was yesterday morning here in St. Albans, Vermont. 

I'd guess there's four, five, maybe six inches still left, depending on where you measure it. 

Well, that's progress, I suppose.

It's mostly melting from below, due to a still warm ground. It did get a little above freezing for most of the day Wednesday, but it also snowed lightly all day, too. 

On Wednesday, warmer places like Burlington had a few raindrops mix in.  Nobody in Vermont, except maybe some higher mountain peaks, had much snow accumulation Wednesday. Precipitation was just not heavy enough. 

On the negative side, Interstate 89 was gummed up for the third evening in a row. This time it looked like it was more related a serious crash and not icy roads. The pavement was just wet. 

Temperatures in most of Vermont stayed near or just above freezing overnight last  night. There was still water dripping from the snow on my roof early this morning. But the snow is not disappearing fast. It's just not warm enough. 

Outdoor workers in areas of Vermont slammed by snow this week are really out of luck. Landscapers are supposed to be cleaning up leaves. Roofers are supposed to be getting the last jobs of the season done. I'm sure there's road and driveway projects that are stalled, too.

Instead, as WPTZ reports, these businesses and workers are waiting, perhaps in vain, for better weather. 

I confess I'm one of the victims. I do fall garden cleanup for people, and I still had a small number of things to complete. And I wasn't even close to buttoning down my own property for the winter. 

Everybody, including me, got used to the mild Novembers of recent years, I guess. 

FORECAST

Looking ahead, though, Vermont will still be mired in premature winter for awhile yet. 

More snow showers will roam the state today, but they probably won't be as widespread as they were yesterday. The Green Mountains will be the big "winners' today with a few more inches of snow. 

Northern Vermont valleys away from the immediate shores of Lake Champlain can expect another dusting to maybe two inches of new snow today and especially tonight, when temperatures go back below freezing. 

It'll stay cold Friday and Saturday, too, but snow showers will continue to diminish. I don't think places deep in snow will entirely get rid of it by the weekend, as daytime temperatures will only make it into the 30s to around 40, and nights will get below freezing.

Then there's a new storm due Saturday night and Sunday. It still looks like that one will bring a wave of freezing rain and sleet over us. Mostly along and east of the Green Mountains, but even western Vermont would be under the gun. 

The freezing rain does not look like it will be enough to cause tree and power line damage, but it would be more than enough to make driving dangerous once again on Vermont highways. 

By Sunday afternoon, it will be back to the snow showers. Those will continue into early next week, replacing some of the snow that might melt when ice briefly turns to rain early Sunday. 

There are signs it could warm up a little - not a lot - later next week. No guarantees, but there's still a chance some autumn yard and garden work can be completed before winter really gets there.