Election Day: No Weather Excuses Here In Vermont, You Gotta Vote

If you're looking for an excuse not to vote today in
Vermont, the weather isn't it. You can't ask for
more favorable weather to get to the polls. 

 I rarely hear people say or at least admit they're not going to go out and vote because the weather is too lousy. 

People usually trundle off to the polls no matter the conditions outside.  Vermont weather can often be pretty inconvenient in early November when it's election time. You can get snow, ice, wind and cold. 

This is not one of those years. 

If you haven't already voted, the trip to the polls will be a breeze. Literally. Yes, the wind will blow at a fairly decent clip, but nothing scary. It's going to be toasty warm for November, with highs way up in the 60s, which is far warmer than normal for this time of year. It's not going to rain, except maybe for an isolated sprinkle up by the Canadian border.

You might need to bring your sunglasses. That's about it. Whether you have to walk, drive, bike or hop, skip and jump to get to your local election site, it's clear sailing today. 

So no excuses! Go out and vote if you have not done so yet.

This Evening

Tonight the tense national vote count begins. Peoples stomachs are in knots as we await the results, which might not come tonight or even tomorrow or the next day. We shall see. 

It's understandable if you'll need to go outside for some air to take a break from the news this evening. Even here, Ma Nature has got your back. 

It's going to be exceptionally, weirdly balmy outside tonight. Temperatures in warmer, broader valleys will probably never drop below 60 degrees overnight. That's more typical of summer, not November. So take a break. Go for a walk. Breathe the warm evening air tonight to bring your blood pressure down. 

The Outlook

No matter who wins the election, the weather of course will go on. Wednesday, election hangover day, will feature exceptional warmth for November, as we might actually see some late season 70 degree readings during the afternoon.

For comparison, normal highs this time of year are barely in the low 50s. A cold front might kick off some light showers, but don't hold your breath for any decent rains. 

Temperatures will settle back into the seasonable upper 40s and 50s Thursday through the weekend. 

Despite some light showers north Monday and those expected sprinkles Wednesday, the fire danger here in Vermont and in the rest of the Northeast is going to remain high through the week and into the weekend. 

So no setting off fireworks if your favorite candidate wins. Remember, there's a burn ban in Vermont at least through November 11. 

If you're looking for some decent rains - and many of us are at this point, we have an uncertain shot at it later Sunday and Sunday night. 

A middling size storm, possibly bolstered by a little moisture from Tropical Storm Rafael, might, maybe give us a decent but not huge rain storm.  We'll keep an eye on that and hope for the best. 

Sap! Vermont Maple Sugar Makers To See A Great Run

An enthusiastic maple sugar tanker truck collects sap
at some taps in St. Albans, Vermont last March.  A big
Vermont sap run should start today with very favorable
weather this week.

 A warmish spell in late February got an early jump on sap runs for some Vermont maple sugar producers before a wintry first week of March shut things down temporarily.  

Starting today, though, maple sugarers should expect to be very, very busy.  They won't be sleeping much until this weekend. 

The warm spell coming in is sure to create some great runs. The sap runs best with freezing nights and daytime temperatures well into the 40s, perhaps low 50s.

True, after tonight, temperatures across most of Vermont will stay continuously above freezing from Wednesday morning until Friday night, but that's not long enough to put a big wrench into production.

It's also true that daytime readings in some parts of Vermont will get into the 50s to possibly near 60 in some spots, but that's OK too. The heat wave won't last long enough to harm this year's sap run. Plus, there is some refrigeration for the trees going on with the snow cover to help keep things under control.

On top of that, a hard freeze is coming this weekend, with daytime highs Sunday not even getting above 32 degrees for many of us on Sunday.  That'll help recharge the maple trees for the next sap run in the inevitable next warm up. It'll also give some maple sugar producers to catch some rest. 

Last year, Vermont produced 2.2 million gallons of maple syrup, more than half the nation's total. The value of the 2020 maple crop was right around $58 million, so you can see that's a valuable commodity. 

Let's hope this year is another good one for Vermont. It seems off to a great start!