The Script Flips: Vermont To Go From Chilly, Showery To Summer Warm And Dry

Storm clouds gather over St. Albans, Vermont late Sunday
afternoon. While no hail fell here, thunderstorms 
produced a lot of small hail in some Vermont towns.
This week brings sunshine and warmer air. 

 Another day, another chill in the air, and even some ice.

That was yesterday, of course. Despite a brief burst of sunshine in many areas, especially north, highs were only in the 60s, which was still below normal for this time of year. Southern areas stayed cloudy much of the day. 

That afternoon break in the clouds allowed thunderstorms to develop in Quebec and the head south into Vermont in the late afternoon and evening. 

Although the thunderstorms weren't really severe, the very cold air aloft made it easy for the storms to form hail. That hail came down pretty hard in a few spots, whitening the ground. 

And in some places the hail was fairly big, all things considered. Near Richford, the hail had a half inch diameter,  which is more or less the size of a dime. Several other towns reported the ground covered by pea sized hail. 

RETURN TO SUMMER

A big flip flop has started in the atmosphere overhead. Perfect timing as we flip the calendar to the summer month of June. 

A big southward dip in the jet stream in the eastern U.S, made the past few days frustrating to at least some of us. The air stayed cool. Showers always seemed to threaten and it even snows on many of northern New England mountain peaks Friday night and Saturday morning. 

The past few days have contributed to a May that turned out on the cool side. I'll have a good summary of the interesting weather month of May, 2026 hopefully later today

Those days are gone.  Or at least going. A big northward bulge in the jet stream wants to develop over us. That's coming quicker than we originally thought. A few days ago, we thought most of this week would be cool and unsettled.

But nope! The weather gods are smiling upon Vermont again, fingers crossed. Warm high pressure will become established nearby as a result. It won't exactly be record warmth, u,t you'll definitely notice the changes. And by later in the week, you mind well find yourself out in the garden with a hose, soaking thirsty plants. 

Here are the details: 

Today

We're beginning the process of warming up today, but it won't exactly feel like full on summer. Under at least partly sunny skies, we should flirt with 70 degrees in the warmer valleys and 60s elsewhere. That's still a little on the cool side, believe it or not. The forecast high in Burlington today is 71, compared to a normal of 74 degrees.

Fog from early this morning should either be burning off or gone by the time you read this. There should be some afternoon clouds, mainly over the north and mountains. but even those areas should have some sun. 

We might even find an isolated sprinkle coming out of one or two of those clouds, but nobody will get soaked. Wider valleys will be sunnier. 

Tonight will be quite cool for early June, but not insanely so. Lows should be in the low 40s most places. Maybe in the mid 40s Champlain Valley and mid to upper 30s in the usual cold spots. The coldest  hollows of the Northeast Kingdom might have a little frost, but the vast majority of us should be fine. 

Tuesday:

A winner of a day. Mostly sunny, with highs in the low 70s. 'Nuff said.

Wednesday 

Another stellar day. Hey, we deserve 'em after what we endured over the past few days. OK, "endured" is a really strong word for the mildly unpleasant moments in the weather in recent days, but you know what I mean. 

Here's where it begins to feel like summer. Many of the warmer valleys should touch 80 degrees if the forecast holds. The high sun angle will make it feel pretty toasty out, but the humidity should still be low.

Thursday.

It actually gets kind of hot by later in the week if the forecast is right. Vermont valleys should make it into the mid and upper 80s for the afternoon. 

Friday/Next Weekend 

Some cold fronts and other weather disturbances should get close to Vermont by then. It's too early to tease out when the showers hit, how big they'll be or how long they would last. But those potential cold fronts don't look like they will be powerhouses, so there's little chance we'll freeze our butts off again when then come through. 

At worst, they'll probably just bring near normal temperatures. Which for this time of year is 70s for highs. 

Yes, It's A Cold Shot Coming To New England, But Not THAT Cold

I always post National Weather Service snowfall prediction
maps in the winter. I couldn't resist posting their snowfall
forecast for this weekend. As you can see, an inch or less
is expected in the high elevations, with maybe a couple
inches atop Mount Marcy, New York. 

 I've been hyping up the so-called cold snap and mountaintop snows coming Friday night and Saturday morning, but we actually should't complain. The weather over the next few days in Vermont really won't be that awful. 

Even Saturday won't be a total disaster. 

It's true that yesterday was the last warmer than normal day we'll see in Vermont for awhile. But this time of year, it can get dreadfully hot and humid.  We don't have to worry about that! 

In the past, it's also gotten much colder than what we're expecting this weekend.  For instance, the record low high temperature on Saturday in Burlington is 50 degrees. The forecast high is 59. 

Instead of all that, outdoor temperatures will be comfortably in 60s daily today through next Tuesday, except for Saturday. And there's no chance of frost except maybe in the coldest hollows of the Northeast Kingdom

We'll call today and tomorrow partly to variably cloudy with just a chance of isolated showers. It will be dry most of the time. Later Friday afternoon will tend to cloud up with a rising chance of showers north as our fast moving "bowling ball" of cold air comes toward us, fresh from the  Arctic Circle. 

THE COLD AIR

The pool of cold air will be over us mostly overnight Friday and Sunday morning. That's when the bulk of the rain (and snow!) will fall. There will probably be a dusting of snow at elevations above 3,500 feet and in higher elevations of the Northeast Kingdom. 

Rainfall for us valley dwellers will vary a lot, with less than a quarter inch south, a third of an inch maybe in the Champlain Valley, a half inch north and east of Interstate 89 and maybe more than three quarters of an inch in the Northeast Kingdom.

Saturday morning will certainly be cold and raw, but some breaks of sun will make things OK in many areas by mid to late afternoon.

SUNDAY-TUESDAY AND BEYOND

Those highs in the 60s during this period will be about five to 10 degrees cooler than average, but well take it. We'll have periods of sun, but also the risk of showers. So it will be the run inside when the rain hits, and a half hour later, it's back outside into the sunshine. t's hard to time out when, those showers might arrive, but the best chance is probably Sunday night and Monday. 

For those of you who like warm summer weather and dislike this cool stuff, there's hope for you, too. The weather pattern will start to change during the middle of next week, and it looks like we'll have at least spells of average to somewhat warmer than average temperatures starting the second half of next week. 

The usual caveat applies: Long range forecasts are iffy, so no promises! 

Very Dry Air Surprisingly Frequent April Visitor To Vermont; Brings Gorgeous Weather And Fire Danger

A perennial garden in St. Albans, Vermont, just starting to
show a little greenery, was frosty and messy this Saturday
morning. Very dry weather will allow a cleanup to 
start, and will encourage warmer afternoon temperatures,
allowing more springtime plants to grow

April has a wet reputation. 

After all, "April showers bring May flowers," goes the saying. 

It's true we have our share of wet days in April. Just check out northern Vermont on thundery Wednesday  if you want proof. 

However, factors often come together that bring Vermont many of its driest days of the year. At least in terms of relative humidity. 

If the relative humidity is below, say, 35 percent, it's dry. Below these levels, you get the hair sticking out, ouchie static electricity moments that come frequently in April. Humidity across most of Vermont was between 25 and 35 percent Friday afternoon.

We can expect very dry air today and tomorrow, especially in the afternoons.  It will be quite nice, so no complaints.  Highs will be in the chilly low to mid 40s today and much better lower  50s on Sunday.  It'll get even warmer on Monday.   

High pressure systems that come in this time of year, especially the ones like this one drifting in from southern Canada often have especially dry air aloft. 

The strong April sun hits the ground, causing warm updrafts that hit that dry air aloft, That helps mix that dry air down to the surface. 

That's a contrast from late autumn and early winter, when the sun's power is weak.  Moisture coming off the Great Lakes and the many ponds and lakes in Canada and the Northeast tends to pool under temperature inversions that the lame, low angle sun can't break.  That leads to a lot of dank, overcast days . 

Part of the reason the air in these fair weather systems is many of the lakes in Canada are still frozen, so you pretty much get no moisture coming off those. Also, there's no leaves on the trees anywhere nearby.  Leaves emit moisture into the air.  It's lacking this time of year. 

Dry air like this means there's often a big range between nighttime lows and daytime highs. Moisture holds the heat in the air at night. If there's very little and it's clear and calm, it'll get quite cold.  

During the day, it's easier for the sun to heat the air when it's dry. So readings will quickly zoom upward to comfortable levels. 

As nice as this weather is, it does increase the risk of brush and forest fires. Especially if it's windy. 

All that dead stuff from last year is drying out quickly in this weather, even though it just rained a couple days ago.   

Very dry high pressure areas from southern Canada often
bring beautiful clear skies to Vermont, like in this
shot early morning Saturday in St. Albans, Vermont.

Winds today and tomorrow will be much lighter than they were yesterday. I'd still suggest leaving your burn pile alone until we see somewhat wetter weather.  And please, don't ever flick your cigarette buts out your car window. But especially now, when it's dry and you can start a fire.

 A cold front Tuesday or Tuesday might bring us a little light rain but not much. It'll also keep temperatures a little lower than originally thought. 

 Instead of 70s, we might be in the upper 50s to low 60s those days, which is still fine. Some 70s might still turn up on Thursday and Friday. 

The next risky fire day we face might be Wednesday.  What little rain we might or might not get Tuesday night will quickly dry up as the humidity crashes to rock bottom levels again by Wednesday. Gusty west or northwest winds could spread any fires that do develop.

Otherwise, enjoy a rather fine April weather for the next several days at least