Tuesday Morning, White Christmas Creator On Vermont's Doorstep, Few Inches Snow Coming

Snow accumulation forecast for the small storm today
and tonight hasn't changed much. Expect two to five
inches in the valleys, with a little more than 
that up in the mountains. 

As of this Tuesday morning, we're still on the verge of receiving our small storm that would guarantee a white Christmas in Vermont. It'll arrive just in time for the holiday, Bing Crosby style. 

But then again, an unexpected snow in some parts of Vermont Monday already did the job. 

Flurries had been predicted, but instead, a steady light snow fell in northern Vermont Monday afternoon and evening. The mini-storm left behind an inch or so of snow in a several places. 

Burlington had 1.3 inches and here in St. Albans, my yard is now covered by 1.1 inches of powder. That  qualifies for a white Christmas. 

In any event, we're still going to get our pre-Christmas snow today, , and it will come down statewide. 

SNOWY TUESDAY

A surprise 1.1 inches of snow fell on St. Albans,
Vermont Monday, so we already have a white
Christmas set up. Today's snow will add to 
the holiday cheer, and areas of Vermont that
don't have snow on the ground will by
this afternoon and evening. 

The forecast for this storm hasn't changed much since yesterday. It'll be a small storm by Vermont standards, Most valleys will see about two to five inches of snow. 

The mountains will probably see a little more than that. A winter weather advisory remains in effect across Vermont except in the deeper valleys west and southeast. 

As dawn broke, there were a few snow flurries in the air. But the steady snow should start in southwestern Vermont during the mid to late morning. By noon or 1 p.m. or so, it should be snowing along the length of Interstate 89.   

The snow should reach the Northeast Kingdom by mid afternoon. 

It'll never snow really hard, but the steadiest snow will come down between about 3 and 10 p.m. Keep that in mind if you're driving home from work, going to holiday events or getting some last minute shopping done. 

The roads throughout Vermont this afternoon and evening won't be great. Slow it down if you're driving, keep a good distance between you and the car ahead of you, etc. You know, the usual winter safe driving rules. Be patient, as I'm sure there will be a few slide offs and crashes that will back up traffic in a few areas. 

This will be a pretty snow, which should get people in the holiday spirit. In warmer valleys, temperatures might get to near or a degree or so above freezing. That might make some of the snow kind of on the wet side.  

Such temperatures would also suppress snow accumulation. Places right along Lake Champlain and right along the Connecticut River in southeast Vermont might see only two inches of snow or a little under that. 

We won't have much wind, so the snow will stick to the trees nicely. But there won't be enough snow to break branches or power lines, so we're fine there.

CHRISTMAS EVE

The snow will end in most places before dawn Wednesday, but keep going in the mountains. It'll get sort of windy for a time tomorrow morning and that will knock some but not all of the snow off the trees.  The winds won't howl up to near gale force like they have so many times this month. 

Temperatures should stay steady, mostly in the 25 to 30 degree range all day. It'll stay overcast or at least mostly cloudy all day, except in southeast parts of the state, which should get some sun. Up in the mountains, the snow will taper off through the day, leaving behind about four to eight inches on many of the state's ski slopes. 

The clouds will hang tough Christmas Eve night as temperatures fall into the teens. 

CHRISTMAS DAY

Expect no big weather events on the Big Day, but it will get colder and windier toward the end of the day. 

It'll be cloudy again, with a few snow showers around. The northern mountains could pick up a couple of inches of snow, maybe.

The clouds and snow showers will be stirred up by a pretty sharp cold front. Highs near 30 will hit early in the afternoon, then start to drop as the cold Canadian air floods in. By early Friday morning, temperatures will be in the single digits, with a few places below zero.

This will be in contrast to much of the United States,  as record high temperatures are still expected across much of the area between the Rockies and Appalachians on Christmas Day. 

FRIDAY AND BEYOND

We're still in an active pattern, so the weather will change quickly day to day. Also, since it's such a quick pattern, it's hard to forecast exactly what will happen this weekend, but we do have a general idea now. It's a bit subject to change, but here's our first attempt:

Friday looks cold, with highs only in the teens. An Alberta Clipper will zoom into the East on Friday, but current projection take it from Michigan to New Jersey. If that forecast holds, there would be little if any snow in Vermont from Friday's clipper. If it does snow, it's most likely in southern parts of the state.

Another, warmer, somewhat stronger storm might arrive Sunday. This might give us problems with mixed precipitation then, so we'll have to keep an eye on it for you.