Vermont Afternoon Update: Evening Rush To Be Awful Beneath NW VT Winter Weather Advisory

Updated National Weather Service snow forecast has two to
five inches coming down this evening in northwest 
Vermont. The evening commute will be awful
A little more snow should grace us tomorrow, too.

 As expected, precipitation was rapidly blossoming northward through Vermont as of 2:30 p.m. and will engulf all of the state by late this afternoon. 

Things are looking even worse than they did this morning for northwest Vermont. So, a winter weather advisory is now up for northwest Vermont - Chittenden, Franklin, Lamoille and Orleans County. 

It should start in earnest around the Champlain Valley by around 3 or 4 pm. It was already drizzling as of 2 pm. 

It should change to snow by 5 p.m. if not sooner, with an interval of mixed precipitation before then. 

A pretty good temperature contrast has set up today in Vermont. At 2 p.m., it was 34 in Burlington and 51 in St. Johnsbury. Cold air is draining southward down the Champlain Valley very readily. So it won't take much for any rain to change to ice, then snow. 

Accumulations in the winter weather advisory zone should from 2 to 5 inches, with possibly locally higher amounts near the mountains. The most snow looks like it will be in Franklin County along and east of Interstate 89, and the Green Mountains from Route 2 north. In those areas, at least 4 or 5 inches should accumulate by late tonight. 

Right around Burlington, they're going for two inches. Which doesn't seem like much, but the timing of the snow couldn't be worse, which is what makes this so "special." 

A Vermont state highway truck and driver seen at a St.
Albans service station early Monday afternoon. Probably
prepping for the impending rush hour snow burst today. 

The heaviest snow will probably come down between 5 and 8 p.m., so the drive home in the Champlain Valley and other parts of northwest Vermont is going to be awful. If you can sneak away from work right now, by 3 or 4 p.m. at the latest, that will help. 

I expect some serious traffic jams with this snow. We're not used to driving in snow, since we really haven't had any yet. (Sunday morning's snow was so minor I don't count it.) 

This will also be largely a wet snow, which is particularly slippery and tends to compact into an especially slick version of ice beneath car and truck tires. 

There are a few trees in urban areas like Burlington, Winooski and St. Albans that still have some leaves clinging to them. The wet snow collecting on the leaves, and a steady north wind makes me suspect there might be a few power outages to add to the delight this evening will become. 

In warmer parts of eastern Vermont, by the time we get a changeover to snow later this evening, the best moisture will be starting to exit. 

Snow showers will keep going tomorrow amid the forecast cold and blustery conditions, so there will be a little additional accumulation. 

If you're like me, a Franklin County resident who has not completed all his outdoor autumn garden chores, you're screwed. The snow that accumulates with this evening's mess might not fully melt away for more than a week. 

Especially since we have other chances of snow showers through the rest of the week.   Of course, I'll have updates tomorrow morning, or sooner than that if needed.