Long Vermont Sunny Spell Is Over; But Another Long Vermont Sunny Spell On The Way

A very clear, nearly haze-free view from near the summit
of Mount Mansfield, Vermont on Friday. It was the last
day of a long stretch of sunny weather in the Green 
Mountain State. After an interruption in the good
weather this weekend, another long spell of 
fair weather seems likely next week. 

 Gosh, that was a gorgeous few days in Vermont wasn't it. 

Lots of sunshine, comfortable temperatures - it was perfect.  

All good things must come to an end. But all good things must also return!

I'll explain. 

A slow moving high pressure system through deep layers of the atmosphere ensured a lot of slowly sinking air over us the past few days. 

Sinking air suppresses clouds, which is why we saw so few of them Tuesday through Friday. 

Friday's scattered clouds amid a still gorgeous day hinted that the high pressure system was departing. Sure enough, we have a sharp dip in the jet stream, which means a storm system, a cold front, and plenty of rising air. 

Rising air means rain. Hence, an ill-timed burst of Saturday afternoon and evening rain and a sharp drop in temperature is on the way. 

SUN INTERRUPTED

Clouds were noticeably increasing across Vermont this morning, and that cold front should come through this afternoon. Be ready for changing weather during the day, for sure.

We'll have a few hours of soaking rain with the cold front this afternoon and tonight. Along with the umbrellas, bring a hoodie, since temperatures will start to crash through the 60s and into the 50s this evening. 

The rain will mostly shut down later tonight, within a few hours after sunset, but the chill will keep flooding in. That dip in a jet stream is bringing a flow of chilly Canadian air. We're getting into autumn, remember?

I had the opportunity to take the Stowe Gondola to near the Mount Mansfield summit with visiting relatives Friday, and it was really gorgeous up there. We saw lots of comfortable temperatures (70s in Stowe Village, probably low to mid 60s mountain summit), lots of blue sky, and remarkably light winds for a Vermont mountain summit.

Video from the trip is at the bottom of this post.

I'm glad we didn't plan that trip for tomorrow. The National Weather Service in South Burlington is warning hikers of near winter conditions on the summits during Sunday. Atop the mountains Sunday, expect temperatures in the 30s to low 40s with winds gusting to at least 40 mph. That translates to wind chills in the upper teens and 20s. Definitely dress right for a hike

Down in the valleys, it'll be cool but reasonable (near 60 degrees or so for highs). There might be a few light showers, but nothing to get too worried about.  Monday will also be cool, with some clouds, maybe a light shower or two. 

WARM SUN COMES BACK

If you liked the past week, the signs are growing that we're going to do it again. Forecasts call for another strong high pressure system to park itself over the Northeast through next week, and quite possibly beyond.

That would mean another long stretch of sunny weather with a warming trend. It could be 80 degrees again toward the end of next week.  The overall pattern features high pressure to mostly dominate the Northeast possibly into the third week of the month. 

If that happens, we'll end up with overall a gorgeous September. Even if today's rain interrupts some of your outdoor plans.  

Video: Views from near the top of Mount Mansfield on Friday, courtesy of the Stowe Mountain Resort gondola.  Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.

Vermont's Last Winter Week? This MIGHT Be It

A springlike sunset with grass starting to turn green
this past Friday in St. Albans, Vermont. With astronomical
spring arriving this week, we will take a multi-day
plunge into wintry weather. 

 Astronomical spring starts at 11:06 p.m. this Tuesday, March 19.

After a springlike winter, the arrival of the new season will plunge us Vermonters back down into winter.   

Don't worry, it won't be terribly painful.

A change in the weather pattern is going to put at least a temporary stop to an incredibly warm March. Up until now, it's been on pace to become one of the top three warmest Marches on record.

After this week, maybe not.

The first of a series of cold fronts is coming through in scattershot fashion today. It will still be on the mild side, with temperatures well into the 40s, maybe flirting with 50.

Monday will be seasonable with scattered rain and snow showers. It'll get up to near 40. So meh weather to start the week. Then winter hits.

REST OF WEEK

Tuesday looks chilly, then a reinforcing cold front comes blasting through Wednesday with a batch of snow showers. Accumulations won't amount to much in the valleys. But between tonight and Thursday the mountains could pick up a few inches. A little late season catch up snow for them, I guess.

Then, on Thursday and Friday, it will be downright cold for this time of year. On both days, high temperatures won't get above freezing for many of us. That'll be the first time that's happened since late February. Lows will be well down in the teens. 

I don't think the cold will destroy too many of the early season plants that have prematurely started to come up in Vermont gardens.  Magnolia buds might be nipped and blooms on some crocuses might not survive.

But the green shoots of crocuses, daffodils and other plants that have emerged are still young enough to skate through the cold weather just fine. 

The air this week will be nippy, but nothing all that odd for March. We've just gotten used to the strange balminess of February and March this year. 

LAST WINTER WEEK?

Even though we had a winter that wasn't, many of us still want to emerge into full-blown spring.  The chill might last into next weekend but there are hopeful signs that it could start to warm up again after that. 

This could well be the last week of the season that feels like winter, but don't count on it. 

Historically, we've endured some pretty wintry weather in late March and April. Not to depress you, but here are some examples:

In 1923, the final week of the month featured three mornings that were below 0 in Burlington, including minus 8 on the 29th. That's the latest subzero reading on record.

On April 7, 1972, Burlington endured a high of 24 degrees and a low of 2 above. That's colder than average for mid-January.

And in April, 1975, measurable snow fell on each of the six consecutive days from April 3-8. Between April 4 and 9 that year, only one afternoon made it above freezing and then only to 33 degrees. And the first overnight thaw of April, 1975 didn't hit until the 19th. 

So yeah, if you complain about this upcoming week, you haven't seen the worst that a Vermont spring could bring. 

The Perils Of At-Home TV Meteorologists, (Ctd.)

Los Angeles television meteorologist Leslie Lopez
recently got an assist with the forecast from son Nolan.

 In this past year of pandemic, we've seen more than a few television meteorologists, working from home, having some, um, special guests interrupt their broadcasts. 

One of the latest cute interruptions came a little over a week ago on ABC7 in Los Angeles when meteorologist Leslie Lopez was trying to tell viewers about an impending storm when her 10-month old son Nolan decided to make a cameo. 

As Lopez tries to tell viewers what to expect for high temperatures that day, a baby suddenly appears, trying to crawl up her leg.  That was the introduction viewers got to her son Nolan.

Lopez completed the weather segment like the pro she is, finishing up her forecast while scooping Nolan up into her arms. "He walks now.guys, so I've lost all control," Lopez explained on air, with a smile.

Predictably and fortunately, ABC7 viewers were understanding and appreciative. So much so, that Nolan made another appearance the next day, to thank people for the positive reaction. 

"I've been getting comments, 'Just more baby an weather, please.'" Lopez said.

I agree with that! Here's a video of the initial cameo, and some discussion the next day: