Vermont Endured Another Nightmare Commute Tuesday. Get Used To It .

In this image from Facebook, traffic was
seriously backed up on Interstate 89
in Williston, Vermont due to icy
pavement Tuesday afternoon. 

The drive home from work here in Vermont Tuesday was just about as bad as it was Monday afternoon and evening, even though less snow fell. 

Another conspiracy of bad timing and this time lighter snow led to huge traffic jams across much of Vermont. 

Traffic was snarled for miles along Interstate 89 in Williston and Richmond Tuesday afternoon due to icy roads.  

A crash on Route 100 near the Waterbury/Stowe line blocked the road for awhile. Icy conditions made it difficult to clear the wreck. Route 15 near Essex, Route 104 around Fairfax and East Georgia, Interstate 89 in Franklin County were among the many trouble spots Tuesday. 

If you were out on the roads, I'm sure you encountered your own delays and roadway ice rinks. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

My driveway actually gave me clues as to what happened with Tuesday's mess of a drive time. 

I shoveled the wet, heavy snow off my paved driveway in the morning. The ground was warm, so the driveway stayed wet. 

Then it snowed again. 

Since the ground was still warm the new snow formed a half-melted slush atop the pavement. 

My truck tires compacted the slush with just one trip down the driveway. So imagine what happened to that slushy layer under a daytime of traffic on the highways. 

The ground was so warm it seemed to create a thin layer of above freezing temperatures just above the pavement, even though the air temperature was around 30 degrees. 

In the afternoon, the wind picked up dramatically, probably sweeping away that very thin layer of "warmer" hovering just above the blacktop.  The compacted slush then froze, creating the dangerous driving conditions we saw in many areas in central and northern Vermont. 

The bout of gusty, freezing winds hit just before the afternoon rush hour. Go figure. 

And yes, northwestern Vermont in particular is having a snowy November to be sure. 

Another 2.8 inches of snow Tuesday fell atop the 8.6 inches we had in St. Albans Monday for an impressive storm total of 11.4 inches. Burlington so far this month - as of midnight last night, anyway - has had 6.4 inches of snow, more than the 5.7 inches that is normal for the entire month of November. 

FORECAST

There's no rest for the weary, as winter weather will continue all week with frequent bouts of light snow, with a little valley rain. 

More snow is in the forecast between now and Friday
in Vermont and New York. Not much in the valleys, 
but the central and northern Green Mountains
can expect another six or more inches. 

We should see very little snow in the immediate Champlain Valley right near the lake. And probably no snow or just a dusting in the Connecticut River Valley south of White River Junction this week.

Other valleys in central and northern Vermont will see anywhere from one to as much as five inches of new snow spread out between today and Friday morning. 

The northern and central Green Mountains, especially near the summits, will probably see 6 to 12 inches in that period. 

That will be followed by a possibly icy storm toward Saturday night and Sunday

Here are the details:

Today

As I write this at 7:30 a.m, it's snowing once again here in St. Albans. Just what we need, right? I'm sure there's slick areas on the roads again. The snow isn't coming down hard, but it's enough to cause trouble. 

In the valleys, it'll get a little above freezing this afternoon, so that should help. The snow and rain showers might tend to thin out a bit this afternoon too. Snow accumulations today should be less than an inch, with a little more in the mountains. 

As we saw yesterday, it doesn't take much snow to create havoc. 

Cold air coming in will probably change any rain back to snow and re-create ice on many roads tonight. The chillier air looks like it will come in later than it did Monday evening, so things might not be so bad late this afternoon on the roads.

Thursday

Tomorrow morning's commute might be hazardous again, as another burst of snow comes through. Like today, it won't be much, with an inch or less in most of the valleys. But the mountains will probably pick up several inches

It'll still be snowing, at least lightly in many locations all day Thursday and into Thursday night. Once again, there might be a few raindrops in the valleys as temperatures get a little above freezing.

There should be a little  more snow and falling temperatures Thursday evening. You know what that means. 

Weekend

We'll get a break from the constant snow and cold rain showers Friday afternoon through Saturday, though it will stay cold. But there's yet more trouble on the way. 

A new storm diving down at us from Lake Superior is threatening us with freezing rain later Saturday night into Sunday. 

The storm is still days away, so the particulars on this are sketchy. The best chance of freezing rain looks like it will be east of the Green Mountains, but stay tuned on that. 

Behind that storm will be another bout of snow and snow showers, once again focusing on the central and  northern Green Mountains. It's quite a head start for the soon to start ski season. 

It looks like Killington has opened for the season as of today, but only advanced trails are open so far.  Jay Peak expects to open on November 22, about a week earlier than originally planned.

Other ski resorts in Vermont are planning their seasonal grand openings around Thanksgiving weekend. That holiday falls on the 27th this year.  

In the valleys, those of you who are stuck under a mid-winter type deep snow cover in northwest Vermont will have to live with it for awhile. I don't see any real warmup for at least a week from now. 

Wednesday Vermont Storm Update: Mostly Rain Now, But Still Icy

Looks like roughly an inch accumulation in St.
Albans, Vermont. Unlike in much of Vermont
the stuff on the ground is almost entirely sleet,
with very little snow mixed in. 

 As of 6 a.m. the snow, sleet and freezing rain that we had overnight in Vermont had mostly turned to a plain, cold rain in most areas, but that doesn't mean it's all perfect on the roads out there. 

The National Weather Service office in South Burlington points out that road surface temperatures in many areas is still below freezing. 

Which means, if it's raining and 33 or 34 degrees out there, that rain might still be creating icy roads. Especially on bridges and overpasses.

Some snow and mixed precipitation was still ongoing up in the Northeast Kingdom. 

The winter weather advisory for Vermont away from the Champlain Valley remains in effect until 1 p.m. due that lingering ice. 

Road crews are out. The Vermont Agency of Transportation plow finder map looked pretty busy as of 6 a.m. with an army of trucks across the state. One of their plows just passed my house ten minutes ago. (I live along a state highway).

The rain we're getting this morning will gradually taper off, and temperatures will climb a few more degrees by afternoon.  Road conditions will continue to improve this morning.  If you have Thanksgiving travel plans, I'd still caution against getting an early start.

Wait until mid morning at least and roads that were iffy at daybreak will be much better by then. 

It's a little early to see snow reports, as there aren't many to come by.  At least in some areas, there was more sleet and a little more freezing rain than expected and a little less snow. Here in St. Albans, aside from some snow at the onset of precipitation after 7 p.m. last night, all of the precipitation was sleet with a little freezing rain. 

Points east and south did have more in the way of snow, as expected. Through midnight, Burlington reported 2.4 inches of new snow.  So far, the big winner is Ascutney, in southeastern Vermont with six inches. East Barre reported 4.9 inches and Waterbury Center 4.5.

My early reading on this was forecasts before the storm were pretty accurate, with the most snow in the east slopes of the Green Mountains in central and southern Vermont. Though a changeover to rain was mercifully a bit earlier than expected. 

All in all, it was a typical November nuisance storm. 

The rest of today won't be nice, but at least it will be pretty harmless. By afternoon, overcast, sprinkles and patchy drizzle will rule.  

Thanksgiving Day looks quiet and seasonable, with maybe even some sun.  But winter is still being an insistent early bird. 

Friday looks quite cold behind a cold front. Snow showers could mess with the roads again, so Black Friday shoppers ought to be aware of that. Highs then will only make it into the 20s to maybe near 30. Temperatures for much of Vermont will probably remain below freezing until sometime on Sunday. 

The next storm risk is Sunday night or Monday. It's not looking huge, but there's not a lot of consensus yet on exactly what will happen. Stay tuned on that one!