Ice Jams, Flood Risk, Record Heat, Freezing Rain, Rain, Snow, Wind, Storms. Vermont March Weather Rolls On

Another view of an ice jam backing up water along the 
Missisquoi River in Enosburg Tuesday. The ice
jam closed Boston Post Road near Route 105.
Vermont is still  under a flood watch through
tomorrow

Mark Twain once said, "In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24  hours."

He was referring to New England when he said it. I'd guess he might have been in Vermont in March when he came up with that gem. 

A day after we had a hottest for so early in the season warm spell in the Green Mountain State. temperatures this morning were in the low to mid 30s. 

As forecast, there were a couple drops of freezing rain in extreme northwest Vermont.  We weren't expecting much and there was even less freezing rain than the trifle we thought we'd get.

Before we move on, we should gaze back at the record highs, and how we are re-writing weather records in the age of climate change. March records have really shifted. Before 1990, Burlington had never reached 70 degrees earlier in the season than March 20.

Now with yesterday's 73 degrees - the warmest for so early in the season - it's been in the 70s eight times on or before March 20 since 1990. Six of those occasions have been since 2012.  

This isn't just a Vermont thing. Hundreds of record highs were set over the past few days in the central and eastern U.S. New York City reached 80 degrees, the earliest on record it's been that warm there.

Another record heat wave is set to begin next week in the western U.S. 

The switch to hot weather out West means we in Vermont will probably not be seeing more record high temperatures for awhile. 

A southward dip in the jet stream over eastern North America will keep colder weather and storminess in our neck of the woods for next couple of weeks. 

Let's get into the details:

TODAY

Eventually - later this morning or early this afternoon - the wind should swing back from a southerly direction, and that will pump temperatures back up in  to the 50s for most of us west of the Green Mountains. It'll probably stay in the mid and upper 40s east of the Greens. 

The good news is forecasters have cut back on the amount of rain we should expect between now and tomorrow morning. Don't celebrate too much, since we should still see enough rain, combined with snow melt and the last of the ice jams to keep us under a risk of flooding.  

The Otter Creek in Center Rutland is forecast to go into minor flood stage tomorrow. Other Vermont rivers are expected to get close to flood stage. And remember, these river level forecasts are iffy. Just a little extra rain, or a little extra snowmelt can make a big difference in how high the water gets.\

We should see some scattered showers, maybe even an isolated rumble of thunder here and there today. Much of the time should be dry, especially south and east. The rain should fill in to become more widespread later this afternoon and during the first half of tonight. 

THURSDAY

The sharp cold front will come in from the west mostly before dawn tomorrow, and that will send us back into winter. Temperatures will stay steady near the freezing point, or slowly fall during the day. Gusty winds will make it feel colder. At least the cold will shut off the snow melt and end the threat of flooding.

We could see some snow showers, but accumulations won't be anything to really worry about.

FRIDAY SATURDAY

A relatively small storm should come in from the west. We could get a couple inches of wet snow out of this later Friday into Saturday morning  By March, temperatures can be marginal between rain and snow. We'll want to take a closer look at this when we get closer. 

SUNDAY/MONDAY

A larger storm is looming for the end of the weekend and start of next week.  This far ahead, it's hard to tell exactly what that means for us. For now, meteorologists are going with a period of snow and mixed precipitation Sunday, followed by a brief squirt of warm, windy, showery weather Monday, followed cold north winds and some snow Monday night and Tuesday. 

Since that storm is several days away, don't be surprised if the forecast for how it plays out changes big time. 

The cold wave next week looks pretty sharp and intense, even if it does't last all that long.  But we are possibly looking at a couple days with highs in the 20s and lows in the single numbers. Our false spring will definitely be over by then! 

After that cold wave, as usual, the weather forecast gets  really uncertain. But that's OK, we have more than enough on our plate for now. 

  

Tuesday Evening Vermont Weather Update: Shockingly Warm Today, Still Expected Yo-Yo Temperatures Now Through Thursday

Henry the Weather Dog on Tuesday got to do something
he hasn't really been able to do since October: Bask in the
warm sun. You can sort of see him smiling there
he was so happy 

The warmth in Vermont and surrounding areas really over-performed today, didn't it? 

It felt almost like summer. Henry the Weather Dog was able to bask in the warm sun for the first time since October. He was one happy camper!

I think some compressional warming ahead of the cold front that entered northern Vermont this afternoon helped boost the temperatures. The front, as it pushed southward, sort of squeezed the air, i.e. compressing it. When air compresses it tends to warm up. 

Whatever caused it, things were incredibly balmy.  Burlington reached 73 degrees, according to preliminary data. That  shatters the previous record high of 63 set in 2002. It's also the hottest temperature for so early in the season. Those "so early" or "so late" in the season record highs are especially hard to achieve. But Burlington managed it today. 

Other record highs include 63 degrees in Plattsburgh, NY; 71 degrees (wow!) in St. Johnsbury (old record was 64 in 2016);  and 67 in Montpelier, old record 60 in 2016). 

 Rutland and Springfield got up to at least 70 degrees, Bennington was at least 73 degrees. So much for my prediction this morning that there was just a chance a place or two in Vermont might reach 70.  Instead it was pretty widespread. 

The temperatures I listed are not final figures, so they might be updated later.  

COLDER AIR

I mentioned the cold front. Once it arrives it means business. Highgate was one of the first Vermont towns to see the cold front. They got up to 66 degrees at around 1:30 and were down to 51 buy 5 p.m. Burlington dropped ten degrees to 59 in the hour ending at 5 p.m. 

In most of central and northern Vermont, temperatures will bottom out in the 30s, and it'll get below freezing in some spots north of Route 2.  The northern Champlain Valley has the best shot at going below freezing. 

A winter weather advisory is still in effect for Grand Isle County late tonight and tomorrow morning for the risk of light freezing rain.  There could be some icy spots on the roads tomorrow morning there. And perhaps elsewhere in far northern Vermont. 

At least Vermont will miss out on the worst of this ice storm. Far northwest New York, southern Quebec from Ottawa to Montreal to Sherbrooke, northern and Central Maine and even northern Michigan. 

 WEDNESDAY

A large ice jam was still holding firm along the Missisquoi
River in Enosburg as of late this morning. 
Ice jams and regular flooding are a threat through
Thursday with more snow melt and expected rain. 

It does look like our storm will go by to our northwest, which means winds should shift to southerly during the day tomorrow. 

Highs should get into the 50s in western Vermont, maybe even low 60s southwest. The warmer air will have a bit of a harder time getting into eastern Vermont, but it will be above freezing. 

It probably won't rain much during the day except in the northwest. But today's warmth, lingering ice jams, snow melt and that rain will keep the risk of flooding going into Thursday. 

I noticed late this morning a large ice jam was holding pretty firm on the Missisquoi River in Enosburg , and it was causing minor flooding. 

Thursday will turn sharply colder and windy. And an active weather pattern will continue afterward. I'll have much more on that in tomorrow morning's post. 

 

Vermont/Northern New England Probably Having Coldest Winter In Lower 48

A cold winter sky over Vermont on Friday. Unlike
most of the rest of the nation, we're having a 
relatively chilly winter. Despite a modest upcoming
thaw, it doesn't look like that pattern will change
much as we go through January. 

As winters go, most of the United States, with the very notable exception of Alaska, is having a pretty easy winter. 

At least as far as temperatures go. 

There have been some horrible storms this winter, but it's been mild for most of the Lower 48. 

Except for us. Here in Vermont, it's been a chilly winter. We're in a zone stretching from  the northern Great Lakes to New England that can't seem to find the warm spells very often. 

Sure, there's been cold waves all over the United States east of the Rockies. New Year's Eve was chilly in Florida, for instance. But the dominate weather outside of New England and the northern Great Lakes has been balmy.

During the week around Christmas, the Lower 48 had around 4,700 record highs (daytime highs and record high overnight lows). During tha period, there were only 55 cold records.

As a whole, Christmas Day in the Lower 48 by a wide margin. New England was the exception. Burlington, Vermont was 5.5 degrees cooler than normal that day.

Most of the western United States had a record warm December, with temperatures running an incredible eight to 10 degrees above normal in many cities. Here in Vermont, December was about 5  degrees on the cold side. 

Today and over the past couple of days, an Arctic weather front has been draped more or less from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to southern New England. 

North of that front, the frigid weather has held firm. South of that front, temperatures are running near normal. 

THE FORECAST

For those who like cold weather in New England, this general pattern looks like it will continue. 

Oh, sure, we're still about to get a January thaw later this week and next weekend. But at least so far, the amount of warming in the forecasts look pretty unimpressive. 

Today and tomorrow will continue the cold spell we've been under for the last several days. Highs both days will be in the teens. If it manages to stay clear tonight, lows will get well below zero. A weak disturbance will probably throw a dusting of snow our way tomorrow afternoon and evening. 

Another slightly stronger but still relatively insignificant storm will come through Tuesday night and Wednesday, spreading a little snow, sleet and freezing rain our way. It could be messy Wednesday  morning on the way to work. 

At this point, it looks like Wednesday and Thursday around Vermont will barely get above freezing for the start of our January "thaw." 

It still looks like a storm will go by to our west Friday and Saturday, which would boost temperatures into the low 40s for some bonafide thawing. Unless that forecasts shifts, though, the real warm air will stay suppressed to our south. 

The thaw will be brief as colder weather returns in about a week. It probably won't be as cold as it has been the past few days, but still chilly. After temperatures go back below freezing next Sunday, we'll probably go back to the same weather pattern we've been in.

That means much of the U.S. will have either normal or warmer than normal temperatures as we head into the second half of January. Here in Vermont and New England, just more winter.   

Hot Christmas Week In Much Of U.S. Already Breaking Records: Santa Will Need Shorts, Sunscreen

One of the most scant expected Christmas snow covers
in years. All areas that are just white, with no other
colors, won't have snow on the ground Christmas. 

 It's been a hot December in much of the United States, with the exception of the Northeast. 

Scores of record high temperatures have been broken almost daily this month. In the seven days ending on December 20, weather stations in the U.S. had a total of 1,564 record highs and just 74 record lows. That's as lopsided as it can get. 

In the past two weeks, most of the record highs have been in the western U.S. That is about to change. 

A summer-like "heat dome" is about to set up across the middle of the U.S. An enormous zone from the Rockies to the Appalachians can expect record high temperatures. 

Most will occur on Christmas Day, or the days immediately leading up to and after the big day. 

Fox Weather has a map that shows more than 100 expected record highs this week stretching from Nevada to Indiana. Most of the record highs would be in the Plains from South Dakota to Texas.  At least 40 cities are expecting record highs on Christmas Day. The final number will probably be well over that.  

,Some examples of toasty Christmas forecasts include 76 in Oklahoma City which would exceed the previous record high by three degrees. Wichita Falls, Texas is expected a record Christmas high of 81 degrees. Wichita, Kansas is expecting highs in the mid-70s. 

Apparently, Santa will need to bring a change of clothes, so he can go down to a t-shirt and red shorts by the time he gets to the U.S. 

Temperatures will get into the mid-60s as far north as Rapid City, South Dakota. 

The far north will escape the Christmas heat wave. The extreme northern Great Plains, most of the area around the Great Lakes and New England will stay seasonably chilly.   

The only places in the nation that expect a white Christmas are highest elevations in the western United States; much of North Dakota, Minnesota roughly north of Minneapolis; Wisconsin roughly north of Madison, northern Michigan, northern New York and most of central and northern New England.  

Wild Vermont Weather Day Is Over; We Still Face A Few Issues With Wind, Snow Showers

View from St. Albas, of the sharp squall line
approaching from New York State shortly
before noon today. 

Well, that was quite a weather day here in Vermont, wasn't it? 

Between the damaging wind gusts. the torrents of rain, the record high temperatures, then the big temperature crash, there was a lot going on. .

WIND/POWER OUTAGES

I'll hit some of the highlights in this update, here on this (much calmer) late Friday afternoon. 

The number of customers across Vermont that lost electricity to the gales reached as high as nearly 21,700 at a little before noon. That reportedly represents a bit over 20 percent of all Vermont electricity customers

As of 5 p.m. the number of people still without electricity was still at nearly 8.500.

The wind this morning was the obvious culprit. Those high speed winds a few thousand feet aloft mixed down to the surface in some places, while it wasn't all that windy in others.

The places that did get windy really had their hats blown off. Top winds reported included 73 mph in South Lincoln and  67 mph in Pleasant Valley. That's the area between Underhill and Cambridge in the shadow of Mount Mansfield.

Other reports include 66 mph in Jay, 63 mph at the Morrisville/Stowe Airport, and in West Enosburg. Sections of some roads in Vermont closed temporarily because fallen trees and power lines were draped across them. 

Radar image of today's squall line approaching
from NewYork showed in really meant business. 

.The Green Mountain summits poked up into that layer of high speed air overhead. A gust on Mount Mansfield reached 106 mph.  Most ski areas in Vermont either shut down or had lift holds today. 

RECORD HIGHS

The big surprise today were the record highs. We knew it would be really warm, but it got pretty crazy. Burlington got up to 63 degrees,  roaring past that old record of 49 set in 1895. 

We now have no December daily record highs in the 40s. December record high in the 60s are increasing fast. Climate change again. 

Burlington's high today was a tie for eighth hottest December day on record. Pretty impressive considering the rest of the month so far has been decidedly on the cold side.

Other record highs today include, the following, with the old record in parentheses; Plattsburgh, NY, 59 (49 in 1967); Bennington, 57, (47 in 20-17); Newport, 53, (49 in 1949) and Montpelier, 53 (49 in 1949).

One piece of good news is so far, despite the midday deluge, there's been no reports of flooding.

REST OF THE STORM

Technically the storm isn't done with us yet. A brief slot of dry, rather calm air came in late this afternoon. There was even a decent sunset around Burlington. 

But as the evening goes on, you'll feel the west winds increase. All of Vermont except the Champlain Valley is still under a wind advisory.  That advisory goes until 7 a.m. Saturday and calls for peak gusts in a few spots to 50 mph. That's enough to trigger a few more power outages. Yay! 

It'll be blustery overnight in the Champlain Valley, with the strongest gusts in the 40 to 45 mph range. 

Snow showers were just beginning to make their way back into Vermont as of 5 p.m. A few of them will actually come in the form of a few raindrops in the valleys early this evening before the cold air solidly arrives overnight. 

The snow won't amount to much. Most of us will get somewhere between a few flakes and a little under an inch. But that bit of snow, combined with all that water freezing, will create icy spots on the roads overnight and Saturday morning. 

The weather pattern is still active, and I'll get into that my Saturday morning post. 

Tuesday Vermont Early Season "Heat Wave" Over-Performed, After Quick Cold Shot, Spring Warmth And A Flood Threat Menaces

After a sunny day Tuesday with record warmth, an
approaching cold front brought some menacing
looking clouds, but no rain late in the 
day over St. Albans, Vermont. Those clouds 
only cluttered the sky briefly. 

That was certainly a nice flash of spring in Vermont Tuesday, wasn't it?

Many towns saw highs in the low to even mid 60s, so the one-day heat wave over-performed. High temperatures exceeded what had been forecast. 

Burlington reached 66 degrees, for a new record high for the date. The old record was 64 degrees set in 2021. Tuesday was the warmest day since November 6, 2024.

High temperatures in some other towns included 68 degrees in Bennington and Plattsburgh, New York. Plattsburgh's high was also a record for the date.  Rutland reached 65 degrees. Both Montpelier and St. Johnsbury managed 61 degrees.

Temperatures can occasionally get into the 60s even in January, but that's relatively rare. According to the National Weather Service office in South Burlington, Tuesday's readings in the 60s came a little early than normal

According to the National Weather Service office in South Burlington, the average date for the first 60 of the season is March 27, but the first 60 has occurred as early as January 4, 1950 and as late as April 30, 1972. (Don't get me started about the spring of 1972, the coldest, most awful wintry spring in memory). 

Tuesday's was a windy warmth, as gusts reached as high as 46 mph in Burlington.

Here's a bonus. Though a lot of snow melted, Tuesday's little heat wave was too brief to make us worry about flooding. Sure, a few small creeks got a little rambunctious, but I have no reports of flooding or anything close to it as of this morning.

Now that it's briefly cold again, the runoff from yesterday's snow melt has tapered off, too.

That, however does not mean we're out of trouble. A flood threat is looming in Vermont for this coming weekend and early next week, especially Sunday and Monday.   More on that in a bit. 

TODAY

Back to winter, for one day. It still looks like much of northern Vermont will never make it above freezing today. Some clouds will increase, and there might be a couple snowflakes in the mountains of central and southern Vermont. No biggie, though. 

THURSDAY/FRIDAY

A warm up starts again. Southerly winds and at least some sunshine will boost temperatures well into the 40s.  A few low 50s might pop up in the warmest valleys. Friday should get well into the 50s in many Vermont towns. 

The sun setting on Tuesday over St. Albans, Vermont
on a day that brought record highs in the 60s.

Then the heat and the trouble really start after that. 

First off, it turns out last week's thaw and ice jams did cause some damage in Vermont. The Crossett Brook Middle School in Duxbury, Vermont suffered flooding and was forced to close for several days. The nearby Crossest Brook developed an ice jam that diverted water toward electrical vaults in back of the school.

The vaults were damaged enough to divert some of the water behind the ice jam into the school. Several classrooms and offices were flooded by several inches of water, WCAX reported. 

This is the second time in eight months the school was flooded.  The school was damaged when the Crossett Brook flooded during our disastrous flood of July 10-11, 2024.

Which leads me to the next flood threat.  New damage last week to the school was caused in part by an unstable river bank and damage left from the last summer's event. 

THE WEEKEND

It's going to turn very warm this weekend. By Sunday, temperatures will be well into the 60s. Possibly 70 if any place gets a little sunshine. 

These would normally be record high temperatures, but Sunday's weather comes on the anniversary of a bonkers March heat wave in 1990 that brought Vermont temperatures into the upper 70s. 

Unlike the 1990 hot spell, which hit with little snow on the ground and was not accompanied by rain, there's a flood threat for sure this weekend. 

Yesterday's brief hot spell came amid very dry air. Snow does not melt as rapidly. in dry air even if it's super warm,  like it was on Tuesday. 

Snow does melt faster when it's humid. Dew points, a measure of how humid it feels, could go all the way into the 50s by Sunday.  That's awfully high for March. Additionally, nights this weekend will stay well above freezing too, so we won't have any slow downs in the rate of melting.

On top of all that, early guesses bring a half inch to as much as an inch of rain to Vermont Sunday and Sunday night. 

The combination of snow melt and rain could end up being the equivalent of a few to several inches of rain falling on the Green Mountain State.

FLOOD PREP

We don't yet know how bad the flooding will get and which river basins will have it the worst. But I do believe at least some flooding is inevitable. Hard to say if it will be just minor or worse than that. I'd plan on something worse than nuisance flooding, just to be on the safe side with this one. 

The National Weather Service in South Burlington is recommending that people in flood prone areas start working on their flood plans now if not sooner. 

For instance, if your home or business has a lot of stuff stored in the basement and the basement floods when the rivers get high, start moving things out now. (I'm looking at you, cities like Montpelier and Barre).

Rivers could rise rapidly, especially if an ice jam forms. There's still a lot of ice on some sections of Vermont rivers, and there's even a few pre-existing ice jams that could get worse during the thaw.

That means you'll need to be ready to flee really quickly. if the water starts coming up quickly.  Get your to go bags together this week in case bad things happen Sunday. And if bad things don't end up happening, well, you had a good practice run for future events.

Watch this space for updates through the rest of the week and the weekend for any flood threat updates in Vermont.  

Southern U.S. Gets A Break With Early February Record-Smashing Warmth. Won't Last Forever, Though.

Chart from Pivotal Weather shows a "heat dome"
over the southern and central U.S. that has helped
cause widespread record high temperatures
across the southern half of the United States
from Utah to the Carolinas. 

 While we hear in Vermont and most of the northern United States continue to slog through winter, most of the southern U.S. is experiencing an early taste of spring. Or in some cases, summer. 

At least 80 cities mostly but not exclusively in the southwestern United States experienced record highs Monday. 

Faith Ranch, Texas roasted in a summery 93 degree high temperature Monday. Lubbock, Texas was not far behind with 91 degrees. That tied the record for the hottest winter reading on record.

Grand Junction, Colorado also had its hottest winter day, as they got up to 71 degrees. Amarillo, Texas reached a toasty 89 degrees, breaking the record for the date by a big eight degrees. 

Other record highs Monday included 86 in Phoenix, 84 in Oklahoma City, 83 in Houston, 80 in Las Vegas and 70 degrees in Cincinnati.

On Tuesday Salt Lake City reached 69 degrees on Tuesday, tying the record for the hottest February day on record.  Since the month is usually warmer toward the end, you'd expect a monthly record high to be set on the closing days of the month. 

Salt Lake City also had a low temperature Tuesday of 59, the warmest low temperature of any date in February.  Tuesday was also Salt Lake City's third consecutive record high.

Like on Monday, record highs were widespread across the South and parts of the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday. Among those record highs were 57 in Laramie, Wyoming; 82 in Beaumont, Texas; 80 in both Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina, and 81 in Greenville-Spartensburg, North Carolina, which also tied the record high for the entire month of February. 

More record highs are expected across the southern half of the United States over the next few days. 

This is a huge turn around from the record snows and cold that hit the Deep South on January 21 and 22. New Iberia, Louisiana, which set an all time record low of 3 above on January 22 is anticipating a humid week through Sunday with highs in the upper 70s to near 80, which are near daily record highs. Overnight readings there should in the low 60s. 

Near record highs are also anticipated in New Orleans this week, a city that received an unprecedented eight inches of snow on January 21 .

The southern warmth has been driven by a storm track that has gone from California east northeast to near New England. The storms have helped brought warmth northward, and helped establish an out-of-season heat dome in the South. 

Anyone north and west of the storm track is missing out on the warmth, which is why it hasn't been particularly mild here in Vermont. 

It is still winter, so the record warmth will slowly become more and more suppressed to the south and east as we go through the next week to ten days. By a week and a half from, chances are the only spot in the continental United States that will be oddly warm is Florida and maybe places like Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama. 

Vermont Wasn't Alone: More Than 350 U.S. Weather Stations Had Hottest Year In 2024

A small thunderstorm pops up over Lake Champlain near
South Hero, Vermont on a hot, steamy July, 2024 day. 
Nearby Burlington ended up having their hottest year
on record, as did more than 300 U.S. cities last year. 

When I said the other day that a couple cities in Vermont had their warmest year on record in 2024, we weren't exactly unique.  

Turns out Burlington, Vermont was among at least 299 United States sites that had their warmest year on record in the Lower 48.  Another 60 sites tied their records for warmest year.

Data are trickling in from other cities so this number might grow. 

This is more evidence hat we are living in a very different climatological world than we did just a few decades ago. If the climate were normal, most places would not have a record warm or cold year. But a roughly equal number of cities would have had a record warm or a record cold year. 

Not in 2024, that's for sure! 

Only three states - Delaware, Rhode Island and South Carolina - didn't have any cities reporting record breaking or record tying heat. 

That means the 2024 heat was widespread across the nation. Virtually everyone enjoyed or endured - depending on your perspective - a hot 2024, But it does seem it was most widespread from the Southwest, through Texas and parts of the Deep South. And also the interior Northeast and parts of the Great Lakes. 

In Vermont, the data set compiled by the Southeast Regional Climate Center says Burlington, St. Johnsbury, Montpelier and Woodstock had their hottest year on record in 2024.  Bennington tied the record for hottest year. 

Nearby cities that had their hottest year in 2024 include Albany in New York and Concord, Berlin and North Conway, New Hampshire.    

There were a couple spots that were coolish, at least by comparison. 

The heat was well distributed throughout the year. It wasn't just one standout month that skewed 2024 toward warmth. 

Some cities had more than 40 record highs distributed through the year, which is a lot. Pascagoula, Mississippi endured 56 days with record highs in 2024. San Antonio and Tampa had 56 such days. 

Phoenix, Arizona famously suffered through 21 consecutive days of record highs late September and October.  No American city had ever had that many consecutive record highs. 

Here in Vermont, Burlington managed just 11 record highs, but that's a lot for a single year when the records go back to the 1880s. There were no record lows in Burlington in 2024.

The heat in Vermont has lasted years. Each of the past five years are among Burlington's top 10 warmest. 

Since 2000, Burlington has had 46 record highs, and just one record low.

Nighttimes during 2024 in the United States were also particularly oppressive, especially near the overheated Gulf of Mexico. Brownsville, Texas and Key West, Florida each had more than 40 nights the were record warmer.  

Analysts could not find any cities that came anywhere close to their top 10 list of coolest years. The closest to that was probably Los Angeles, as measure at the airport. Winter storms early in 2024 kept the city cool. The airport is also close to the coast, so summer and autumn breezes off the Pacific Ocean kept inland heat waves at bay.

So Los Angeles was tied for their 26th coolest year out of the past 80 years. Not a big deal. 

Final figures aren't quite in yet, but either 2012 or 2024 will turn out to be the hottest year on record in the United States.  The bets are 2024 will be the hottest, we'll find out within days with NOAA releases their monthly report. 

Climatologists are also already sure that last year was the world hottest on record, breaking the mark set just a year earlier. 

Record Warmth To Vermont Winter Storm As We Head Into The New Year

Big contrasts in snowfall expected with upcoming storm
Less than an inch in lowest valleys far west and far east
in Vermont, while Jay Peak could get two feet. 

It's toasty out there again this morning, as we get one last day of our end of 2024 heat wave. 

We won't have any record highs again today, but we never did get below freezing last night and many of us will be well into the 40s this afternoon. 

Burlington was the big heat winner with this warm spell. We already told you about the record high of 61 on Sunday, set at around 11 that night.

The city also managed to reach 60 degrees Monday, breaking the record high of 58 for the date set in 2022. 

Other high temperatures around the region Monday included 58 in Bennington and Highgate, 57 across the pond in Plattsburgh, 53 in Springfield, and 51 in Montpelier 

The thaw gave Montpelier a bit of a scare yesterday.  An ice jam formed in town, making the Winooski River rise rapidly in Montpelier. The city is still spooked by devastating floods in recent decades, including a 1992 ice jam flood.

In this case, city officials went to work, breaking up the jam with a backhoe and spraying warm, treated effluent onto the ice jam to make it melt. It worked, the jam quickly broke up, and water receded without every quite making it to flood stage. 

NEW STORM

That oft-mentioned New Years Day storm coming in is going to cause some pretty wildly different conditions in Vermont. We're going to have some big time snow winners and losers here. 

By the end of the week, some of the lower valleys of far western and far eastern Vermont will see barely an inch of new snow, if that.  Meanwhile, the northern and central Green Mountains are in for at least a foot of snow.  I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the Jay Peak cloud over-performs and dumps two feet of snow on that ski area near the Canadian border.

The storm causing all this is pretty dynamic, judging from the very low, but not zero chance of tornadoes today oddly north in parts of Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

As I mentioned yesterday, the storm is taking the perfect path to dump at least several inches of snow all over Vermont. Too bad there's not enough cold air for snow. The valleys should see mostly rain overnight and New Year's Day, at least for the first half of the storm. 

There is the slightest chance of a New Year's miracle which would chill the air enough to produce snow even in the valleys, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. 

Once the storm gets to eastern New England, it will really start to crank up, then move northward into eastern Quebec and pretty much stall for a couple days. 

That will set up a strong, cold, wet northwest air flow that will last from Wednesday night to at least Friday. It's a classic setup to dump tons and TONS of snow on the central and northern Green Mountains while people in the Champlain and Connecticut River valleys wonder what all the fuss is about. 

The National Weather Service office in South Burlington has posted a winter storm watch for Franklin, Orleans, Lamoille and Washington counties in Vermont, and also the spine of the Green Mountains all the way to south of Killington. 

Winter storm watches are also up for the Adirondacks and in western New York, where the lake effect blasts are set to start again. 

The snow contrasts here in Vermont will be striking.  In Franklin County alone, I'll be surprised if St. Albans Bay gets as much as 1.5 inches. At my place on a high spot on the eastern part of St. Albans, I'm probably in for four or five inches. 

Head up to eastern Franklin County toward Bakersfield, Richford and Montgomery, we're probably talking more than a foot. Maybe even a foot and a half in a couple high spots.

We're also going to see some screaming northwest winds with this, with gusts over 40 mph, so we'll find plenty of blowing and drifting snow, especially where there's a lot of it. 

Plan on travel trouble in high elevations Wednesday, in most of the state Wednesday night, and in the northern and central Green Mountains Thursday and probably Friday.  

Once temperatures fall below freezing later Wednesday, they'll stay there for a long, long time.  Quite possibly until at least mid-month, so any snow that does fall will stick around for awhile. 

A Surprise Overnight Heat Wave In Vermont, Late Night Record Highs

It's becoming  weird late December tradition around my
St. Albans, Vermont house. Record warmth has 
caused these daffodil shoots to sprout out of season
Same thing happened in recent Decembers. 

 We knew it would get warm here in Vermont overnight and this morning, but what happened is kind of ridiculous. 

Rather than reach the low 50s by this morning, Burlington, Vermont's temperature rocketed upward last evening, peaking at 61 degrees at around 11 p.m. That was good enough for a record high for the date, the old one being 58 degrees in 1984.

As you well know, 11 p.m. is an odd time of day to see a record high.  

Burlington was probably the warmest place around, because winds from the southeast had some compressional warming as gusts flowed down the western slopes of the Green Mountains. Still, it did manage to reach 58 degrees in Bennington, 55 in Rutland, and 57 in Plattsburgh, New York.

Place east of the Green Mountains have mostly so far missed out on the warmth.  The mildest it got in Springfield so far is 48 degrees. St. Johnsbury has thus far only managed to get as mild as 41 degrees. 

As of early this morning, it look like Burlington at least tied the record high for today's date of 58 degrees.  We'll see how that sugars out.

We've been re-writing the record books for late December in recent years. In 2015, it was 68 degrees in Burlington on Christmas Eve, the hottest December temperature on record. Our hottest Christmas was in 2020, with a temperature of 65 degrees. Just two years ago, in 2022, the record high that was probably tied today was set. 

COOLING TREND

I hope you got outside to enjoy Vermont's tropical warmth early today as you won't see temperatures like this again for a long time. 

Temperatures will gradually cool today behind a cold front that was on our doorstep as of 8 a.m.  It'll remain mild all day, but temperatures will fall through the 50s and 40s and into the 30s by sunset late this afternoon.

We could even see a snow shower or two this evening. It is winter, after all, though it didn't feel like it the morning.

New Year's Eve looks quiet and mild for the season, with highs in the upper 30s to mid 40s. Pretty warm, still for this time of year, and made all the better by some expected glimpses of sun, especially in the first part of the day. 

We're still looking at a new storm for New Year's Eve and Day.  It'll be a frustrating storm for snow lovers, because its path would normally be perfect for laying down a nice Vermont snowpack to replace what we lost in the heat wave we just had. This system will basically follow a path from New York City to Boston to Portland, Maine on New Year's Day. 

But alas, there won't be enough cold air around, so deeper valleys still look like they'll have a cold rain for most of the storm.  Higher elevations have a better chance of seeing some snow. 

Once the storm gets past us, it'll help introduce a long period - probably lasting at least two weeks - of cold air.  That storm will probably stall for a few days in eastern Canada, dumping more snow on Vermont mountains, but leaving valleys with little new snow. 

So expect a thin snow cover in the valleys for at least the first few days of the upcoming long January cold spell.  High elevations should get a decent share of their snowpack back. 

 Subsequent storms might come along to allow the valleys to join the January snow party, but it's too soon to tell how that will play out. 

Another Intense November Heat Wave Sweeps Northeast

The sky might have looked chilly and November-ish
over Vermont Wednesday, but it was a balmy 70
degrees when this photo was taken in Georgia, Vermont. 

 Another November week, another spell of summer like weather in the Northeast. A lot of the new record highs were doozies! 

Record highs were obliterated in southern New England Wednesday. Boston reached 82 degrees, beating the old record of 76 set two years ago.  It was the latest in the season on record that Boston had seen a temperature of 80 degrees.

Hartford, Connecticut reached 84 degrees, exceeding the old record by a whopping eight degrees. 

That 84 degrees tied the record for the highest temperature seen there for the entire month of November. The one other time Hartford hit 84 in November was last week, on the first of the month. 

Worcester, Massachusetts reached 78 on Wednesday, exceeding the old record of 72 in 2022. Providence, Rhode Island had a record high of 77 degrees.

Temperatures Wednesday reached the low 80s as far north as southwestern Maine and south-central New Hampshire.  Portland, Maine reached 79 degrees shattering the previous record for the entire month of November, which had been 75 degrees set two years ago.

It's somewhat rare to break a record for an entire month, but to exceed the old mark by four degrees is really off the charts. 

Manchester, New Hampshire broke its November record by reaching 80 degrees. Concord, New Hampshire ties it record for November by also reaching 80 degrees Wednesday. Bangor, Maine tied its record high for the entire month of November, too. They reached 75 degrees. 

Temperatures the day before, on Tuesday, reached record highs in western New York, the Great Lakes region and Ohio Valley. These  included an amazing 85 degrees in Dunkirk, New York, which is south of Buffalo along Lake Erie. Dunkirk is much more famous for epic lake effect blizzards in November and the rest of winter than heat waves, but there you go. 

Elsewhere on Tuesday record highs included 81 in Rochester, New York, 86 in Ashland, Kentucky, and 82 in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and Zanesville, Ohio. 

Here in Vermont, it was plenty warm but we did not have record highs. Clouds helped keep the records a little shy of the incredible heat we had two years ago Wednesday. 

Still, Burlington reached 70 degrees Wednesday, the third time this month it got to at least 70, which is pretty are for November. Though not a record, because it got to 70 degrees on four occasions in November, 2020.

Across the pond in Plattsburgh, they did manage to see a record high Wednesday of 75 degrees, besting the old record of 73 set in 1948. 

OUTLOOK

It doesn't look like we have any more record November warmth coming up, at least in the near future. But it will stay mild for the season. 

The forecast calls for near to above normal temperatures most days, probably through at least around November 20 or so. Some days will be warmer than others, and some days will be quite balmy for the season. But the weather pattern now features weak cold fronts coming through frequently enough here in Vermont to - probably - prevent more big late autumn hot spells. 

Of course, long range forecasts could change, so we'll keep an eye on that. 

Sometimes by this point in November, early season snow lovers get an early gift. Not this year. From what I see, we can expect little if any snow probably for the next 10 days or so except occasional flurries on the cooler days at the mountain summits. 

Those Record Highs In The Northeast Kept Coming, And I'm Gobsmacked

My surroundings on Thursday said stick season, but the
air said midsummer as record highs were smashed in
Vermont and across the Northeast and southeastern
Canada. Overnight lows were hot, too.

 Updated lists of record highs in the Northeast and southeastern Canada kept coming in, and locally around Vermont and New York, the figures are astounding. 

Plattsburgh, New York takes the cake for breaking record highs in the most dramatic fashion to say the least. 

It did get to 83 in Plattsburgh Thursday, smashing the record for the date of 72.  It was also the latest 80 degree reading on record there. (The old record was October 28). Their low temperature in Plattsburgh was 62 degrees, breaking the record for warmest minimum for the date by a full ten degrees, which is insane.

Then it gets even more whacko in Plattsburgh.  It was still 77 degrees there at 12:01 this morning. That means Plattsburgh broke the record for the warmest reading for the entire month of November.  Also, it's rare to break a previous high temperature by more than five degrees, so breaking it by 10 or 11 degrees is also ridiculous.

Burlington, Vermont was definitely in on the record breaking party, too.  We have confirmation this morning that yesterday's high in Burlington was 77 degrees, breaking the old record by six degrees and becoming the warmest for so late in the season.

Thursday's low temperature in Burlington was 64 degrees which broke the record for warmest minimum temperature for the date by five degrees. 

Then, at 12:01 a.m. in Burlington, it was still 72 degrees, enough to break the record high for the date today, November 1. 

Just a few of of the dozens of other records set Thursday include:

Montpelier, Vermont, 75, old record 70.

Caribou, in northern Maine, 77,  old record 69

Massena, New York, 77, old record 73

Hartford, Connecticut 84, old record 82 

Syracuse, New York 81, old record 75.

Canadian cities smashed record highs as well. Here's a partial list:

Montreal reached 76 degrees, old record 71.

Quebec City, 71, old record 64.

Sherbrooke, Quebec 75, old record 68. 

Ottawa, 75, old record 70.

As I noted yesterday, climate change is helping to turn what might have been fairly impressive warm spells to off the charts gonzo heat waves. This is the latest example.

UP NEXT

A cold front was sweeping through this morning, and temperatures were gradually falling. More record highs might occur today in eastern New England and the Mid-Atlantic States ahead of the cold front. 

Wildfires worries will continue into November, especially in southern New England and the Mid-Atlatic States. The cold front is carrying very few showers if any showers. Gusty winds and dry air today have prompted red flag warnings for fire danger across southern New England, southern New York and parts of New Jersey.

Little or no rain is forecast in southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic states for at least a week, continuing an increasingly dangerous drought there. 

Up here in northern Vermont, a little rain fell, but nothing impressive. Burlington reported 0.04 inches. Montpelier came in with 0.03 inches early this morning. With those gusty winds, the forest fire risk today in Vermont is high across northern areas and very high in the southern half of the state, according to the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. 

A statewide burn ban remains in effect. 

Temperatures in Vermont will slowly fall all day and be in the 50s for the most part by late afternoon. 

The weekend will be generally sunny and just a little cool for the season, but certainly not the least bit unusual for early November.  We'll have highs in the 40s, lows in the 20s. It'll just seem cold compared to the weather we just had.

A warm front will prompt some chilly rain Monday in northern New England. We should see another brief squirt of very warm air Tuesday and part of Wednesday, but it won't be as intensely balmy as the air we just experienced on Halloween.

If you have not already voted, you should have no trouble going to the polls with the weather Tuesday given the expected toasty weather for the season.

I'll have my monthly summary of how Vermont's weather fared in October in a separate post later today. 

   

High Temperature Records Absolutely Obliterated In Vermont, New York, Elsewhere In Northeast

The landscape today said late autumn. But the air in
Vermont said midsummer as high temperature
records were absolutely shattered in the region. 

 The Halloween heat wave today more than lived up to its hype today, shattering records as those readings rose to unprecedented end of October levels.  

Final figures weren't in yet as I was writing this around 5:30 p.m. today. But the temperatures I've seen so far are insane. 

The wildest report came out of Plattsburgh, New York, where it got to at least 83 degrees today. That was a whopping 11 degrees above the old record for the date. 

It was also 30 degrees warmer than the normal high for this date in Plattsburgh, and a couple degrees warmer than an average mid-July day.

In Burlington, it got to at least 77, making today the warmest day for so late in the season. The low this morning in Burlington was 64 degrees, and it's unlikely to get cooler than that by midnight. So that will break the old record for warmest low temperature by a full five degrees. Today in Burlington averaged out exactly normal for June 29. 

Elsewhere, Montpelier got to at least 75 degrees, breaking the record for the date by five degrees. 

St. Johnsbury got to at least 76, Lebanon, New Hampshire, just across the Connecticut River from White River Junction, reported 81 degrees at midafternoon. Other midafternoon temperatures include 79 at Springfield, Vermont and 78 in Bennington. 

It's going to be a summery evening for the trick or treaters now starting to haunt Vermont neighborhoods. You might want to bring some water, as the kiddos will probably work up a sweat in this weather trying to get their candy haul.

I'll have updates to these incredible temperatures in a post tomorrow morning. I'll also get into how October as a whole stacked up compared to normal. Spoiler: It was toasty. 

Very Weird Vermont/Northeast Record Warmth Peaks Today, Part Of A Disturbing Pattern

Some previously frostbitten outdoor plants around
my house in St. Albans, Vermont are reviving amid 
record end of October warmth in the region,

 It's weird out there, folks.

We went to bed last evening, and got up this morning to temperatures more typical for mid-summer. Kind of spooky for Halloween if you ask me. 

Record shattering high temperatures are anticipated across Vermont and pretty much all of the Northeast today for sure. 

The bizarre aspect of this warm spell started yesterday. It got to 69 degrees in Burlington in the afternoon, right in line with forecasts. 

 As the sun set, the temperature should have started falling. Instead, it stayed right at 69 degrees until 9 p.m.

In fact, the temperature snuck up to 70 degrees at the odd time of 7:12 p.m. to tie Burlington's record high for the date. 

It never really cooled down overnight. As of 6 a.m. in Burlington, it was 66 degrees. That's warmer than it would normally be at that hour in July. 

Also, that 66 degrees is just five degrees below the record high for today's date. That record will be shattered.

The National Weather Service office in South Burlington is going with a forecasted record high of 79 degrees today. I suppose an 80 degree reading is not entirely out of the question. Pretty much everyone in Vermont except those up in the mountains should make it into the 70s today. Normal highs this time of year in the Green Mountain State are in the low 50s. 

Today's forecasted high in Burlington would also be easily the warmest for so late in the season.

In the past several years, we've had a really disconcerting number warmest temperatures for entire months, or of "hottest for so late in the season" temperatures in the autumn and  "hottest for so early in the year" temperatures in the spring. 

Sure, records are made to be broken, but this type of record should rarely happen. But it's been happening a lot. Climate change is helping to re-write the weather record books here in Vermont and pretty much everywhere else. 

I'm probably not going to mention them all here, but the list of earliest and latest record highs  in Burlington, Vermont is impressive:

-- 95 degrees, May 27, 2020, broke the all time record high for May by two degrees. 

-- 78 degrees, October 26, 2022, warmest for so late in the season.

-- 76 degrees, November 6, 2022, warmest temperature for the entire month of November and of course warmest for so late in the season.

-- 88 degrees April 13, 2023, hottest for so early in the season

-- 96 degrees June 1, 2023, hottest for so early in the season. Broke the previous record high for the date by a whopping six degrees.

-- 86 degrees October 4, 2023 hottest October day on record and warmest for so late in the season. 

REST OF FORECAST

This evening for the trick or treaters will be summertime balmy.  Hauling those bags of candy around neighborhoods will get the kids to work up a sweat this year. Temperatures in many locations will stay at or above 70 well into the evening. 

By the way, the previous record high for today in Burlington was 71 degrees in 2019. That was in the midst of a destructive rain and wind storm that caused a ton of damage in much of Vermont. Count ourselves lucky that we don't have to deal with any big storms this time around. 

A cold front will come through tomorrow without much rainfall. But it will continue our weather weirdness. High temperatures will probably hit near or before dawn. Those early temperatures could still be in the mid or upper 60s, which isn't too far from record highs for November 1.

Then, as the day goes on, the temperature will keep gradually falling, making it to near 50 by dark.

After that, it's back to reality as the weekend will feature near normal temperatures for early November. That means highs in the 45 to 52 degree range and lows somewhere between 25 and 35 degrees. 

We might get a brief spike of well above normal temperatures again around Tuesday or Wednesday, but it won't be nearly as summer like as today will be. 

-- 

Throwback To USA Summer: Record Heat, Wildfires, Tornado Outbreak, Floods Late Season Tropical Trouble? Vermont Hot

This flower managed to survive recent hard freezes here
in St. Albans, Vermont, so as a reward, it will get
to enjoy record high temperatures for the 
next couple of days. 

 Much of the nation is this week is having a throwback to summer, with record heat, wildfires, tornado risks and even some grumblings in the Caribbean of a potential new tropical storm in a few days. 

The heat is widespread. 

To give you an idea of the random, widely scattered record highs we had Tuesday, they include 84 degrees at Albuquerque, New Mexico, breaking the record by five degrees;  Del Rio, Texas had a record high of 90 and Sioux City, Iowa set a record at 82. 

Peoria, Illinois set a record at 85 degrees, as did Springfield, Illinois with 84. 

The record heat is moving into the Northeast today and tomorrow, including here in Vermont. More on the Green Mountain State's weather on a section further down.

There's more wild weather to talk about to.

We'll start with Oklahoma, which is easily having the worst weather of anybody this week. The most variable, too. 

On Tuesday, wildfires in Oklahoma forced evacuations and closed roads. The fire risk remains very high in western Oklahoma today.

But today and tonight, central and eastern Oklahoma, Kansas and parts of Missouri are under a tornado risk. A few strong tornados are possible. 

We usually associate spring and early summer with tornadoes. However, there is sometimes a secondary peak in severe weather in the autumn as storm systems get stronger with the season. 

Severe weather is back! Middle of the nation under the gun
later today, especially in the orange area, where a 
couple strong tornadoes are possible tonight. 

After the severe weather clears out late tonight, Oklahoma isn't done with the dangerous weather.  

Another severe weather outbreak could hit the state Sunday. On top of that, repeated rounds of torrential rains are forecast to hit Oklahoma and Kansas over the upcoming weekend, likely causing floods. 

 Meanwhile the weird, extreme drought in the Northeast is expected to continue. That band of wet weather originating in the southern Plains over the next week will extend through the Great Lakes. It will miss the now arid Eastern Seaboard so wildfires will continue there. 

No rain is in the forecast for the next seven days in places like New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC.

New York City did manage to receive a scant 0.01 inches of rain Tuesday, so technically, they won't have a rain-free October.  But still, incredibly dry.

One more thing bubbling out there. The National Hurricane Center is watching areas of disturbed weather in the western Caribbean Sea. This could develop into a late season tropical storm by the weekend or early next week. 

Nobody is sure if a tropical storm or hurricane would develop and if it does, where it would go. So stay tuned on that. This is pretty late in the year for something to develop, but it's still technically hurricane season, so it's definitely possible. 

VERMONT EFFECTS

Last night's warm front did bring some nice, beneficial rains to at least parts of the Green Mountain State.

Burlington had a solid 0.54 inches overnight. That's not a huge amount, but it helps. And  it was still the wettest day since September 26. 

Rainfall won't be distributed well in the U.S. over the next 
week. Orange area is at risk for flooding, while
the Eastern Seaboard (white shading) is forecast
to get no rain in the next seven days.
Vermont gets clipped by some rain especially north. 

Montpelier managed to get 0.42 inches, and St. Johnsbury received a third of an inch. But southern Vermont missed out again. Bennington reported only 0.05 inches last night.

 Elsewhere in southernmost Vermont, anything from a few hundreds of an inch to 0.2 inches fell.

Here in Vermont, we will get clipped by that storminess in the middle of the nation. 

While, as mentioned, the Eastern Seaboard looks like it will continue to get screwed out of any rainfall, at lest we have some chances here in the Green Mountain State.

 Over the next seven days, perhaps a little under a quarter inch of rain is in the forecast for southeastern Vermont but that increases to nearly an inch by the time you hit the northwest corner of the state. 

I'm burying the headline a bit here, but the big news for this post is the record warmth expected, especially tomorrow. Highs today should be in the 65 to 70 degree range, which would come close to record highs, but probably not make it 

On Halloween, many areas of Vermont will get solidly into the mid 70s. Maybe upper 70s in a couple warmer locations. This should break record highs by several degrees, and might set marks for the hottest for so late into the season.

The warmth should last into the evening for trick or treaters. Maybe the costumes this year should have been for things like swimmers, life guards and other summer-themed outfits.

Some showers are on the way later Halloween night, but those should hit after the trick or treating hours are done. 

Vermont Wintry Weather This Morning Goes Badly, But Record Warmth Around The Corner

Webcam grab from nashvillevtweather.net shows a
gorgeous snowy morning today in Nashville, which
is part of Jericho, Vermont. 

Vermont's first minor bout of winter weather did not go well this morning.

Many places in northern and central Vermont had their expected dusting to an inch of snow last night, preceded by some light rain showers.

 As skies partly cleared early this morning in much of the region, temperatures went below freezing.  

Some of the water on highways froze. Especially on bridges and overpasses, where things tend to freeze up first. 

That's always a nasty recipe, as people cruising along over wet pavement suddenly hit ice as arrive at an overpass. Often at too-high speeds.

Combine this with the fact the first icy morning of the season means motorists aren't accustomed to winter driving and you get havoc.

Which is what happened this morning.  I'm actually feeling smug early today because I had arranged to take a vacation day today, so I didn't have to get caught in the traffic jams caused by the mess on Interstate 89.

And it was a mess this morning,.

Apparently, there was some crashes on the Winooski River bridge on Interstate 89 between Winooski and Burlington probably because of black ice there. Other slide offs and crashed were reported further south toward Williston and South Burlington. 

The result was the usual epic traffic backups on Interstate 89, especially the southbound lanes between Colchester and Burlington.  It looks like those traffic backups had largely cleared by around 8:30 a.m. or so. 

Web cam grab from this morning shows southbound
traffic backed up on Interstate 89 in Colchester due
to crashes, probably caused by ice on bridges
and overpasses.

Other roadways in northwestern Vermont had icy areas, too. For instance, Route 15 near Joe's Snack Bar in Jericho was reportedly glare ice. 

All this and just a little snow that froze. Burlington reported a trace of snow, but nothing measurable. 

It was Burlington's first October snowflakes since 2020. Other snowfall reports include 3.0 inches in Underhill, 2.5 inches in Calais, 3 inches in Jericho Center and 1.5 inches in Walden.

Web cameras in much of northern Vermont show what looks to be widespread areas of about an inch of snow. 

Where skies cleared just before dawn up in northern areas, temperatures really bottomed out this morning. I noticed Lyndonville and Newport were down to 20 degrees as of 7 a.m. Lake Eden, Vermont reported 18 degrees as of 8 a.m.

At least the early morning sun shining on the new snow, with a couple patches of leftover fall foliage gave us a very pretty morning, if you weren't on the roads. 

MUCH WARMER TIMES AHEAD

The snow and ice will quickly melt as the sun asserts itself today. It'll be a chilly day for the season, but still gorgeous. It'll only get into the 40s, but bright sun and light winds will make it feel better.

After another very chilly night tonight, especially in eastern Vermont, we're in for a very sharp temperature reversal over the next few days. And dare I say we might also enjoy a bit of beneficial rain.

A strong warm front will approach Vermont tomorrow, so we'll see increasing clouds and winds during the day. Temperatures should get up into the seasonable 50s. 

That warm front will manage to push some showers through Vermont Tuesday night. It looks like southern Vermont could get more than a tenth of an inch of rain with northern areas seeing maybe a quarter to a third of an inch.

That's not much, but it's dry. Not as bad as in southern New England but bad enough to create some fire worries in the Green Mountain State. Over the weekend, a forest fire in Barnard, Vermont, a little northwest of Woodstock, destroyed two camps and injured one camp owner, though the injuries aren't thought to be serious. That fire was expected to continue burning today.

After the warm front blows through, we have a potentially a couple days of record warmth. Wednesday should get to around 70. Highs on Halloween could get well into the 70s.  If it makes it to 77 in Burlington, which is definitely possible, that would be the hottest temperature for so late in the season.

A cold front Thursday evening will bring more showers. It's dicey, but there is hope the showers in Vermont might hold off until the trick or treaters are done spooking up our neighborhoods. Rainfall again won't amount to much, maybe a quarter to a half inch as it looks now, but that will still be needed.

Temperature by Friday and the weekend should be back down to normal for early November - Highs near 50, lows near freezing.  

Record Temperatures, Brush Fires And Big Temperature Swings Keep Vermont, Northeast On Its Toes

Wednesday's wind really changed the scenery around 
Vermont. This was my St. Albans, Vermont backyard
on Tuesday.........

 As expected, Wednesday in Vermont turned out to be warm, windy and in at least a couple of incidents, fiery.  

After that, a little bit of welcome rain hit parts of the state, mostly north, and temperatures have plunged. Buckle up, because those temperatures are going to be all over the place in the coming days. More on that in a bit:

RECORD HIGHS

Those south winds really warmed us up to near summer levels for the third day in a row Thursday. Burlington managed to tie the record high for the date, matching 1979 for a high of 78 degrees. 

 That was the fourth latest in the season in which Burlington got to 78. The only other years such a warm temperature came a few days later in the month were on October 24, 2018, October 25, 1963 and October 26, 2022.

Montpelier got up to 77 degrees Wednesday, besting the old record for the date by one degree. Across the pond in Plattsburgh, it was 78 degrees, beating the old record of 74 set in 2020.

.....and here's the exact same view this morning. 

Just for fun and it you like contrasts, yesterday fell on the anniversary of arguably the most wintry October day on record in Vermont.

 On October 23, 1969, the high temperature in Burlington was just 30 degrees and the low was 24. There was five inches of snow on the ground left over from a storm the day before.  

So yeah, yesterday was more comfortable. Unless you were battling wildfires.

BRUSH FIRES

I'm aware of at least two wildfires in Vermont yesterday, as the strong winds, long dry spell and low humidity set up perfect conditions for those fires. 

In Huntington, a brush fire broke out at around 11:15 a.m. and covered about five acres. No homes were damaged, but it took six fire departments four hours to get things under control. In Williston, fire departments from at least four towns extinguished a forest fire off of Greenwood Lane that consumed about an acre. 

There were probably other fires in Vermont Wednesday that I'm not aware of.

A little rain fell in mostly northern Vermont last evening. There was even a rumble of thunder here in St. Albans. It didn't amount to much. Burlington had only 0.11 inches of rain and that was among the wetter spots. A few spots in northwestern Vermont probably got close to a quarter inch.

But Montpelier reported only 0.04 inches. St. Johnsbury had 0.06 inches. Much of southern Vermont either got a trace or nothing.  

The bottom line is that the fire danger remains high in Vermont. Some very paltry showers might come through Saturday, but they won't make much of a different either. Bouts of dry, windy weather are in the forecast well into next week.   

Dry windy weather in Vermont led to brush and forest fires
like this one in Williston. Photo from the Williston 
Fire Department.

Now is not the time to burn away your brush pile. Many towns are wisely not issuing burn permits anyway. 

TEMPERATURE SWINGS

As WVNY/WFFF' meteorologist Haley Bouley put it, temperatures went from the 70s to the 50s like they saw a state trooper on the side of the road. 

The high temperature today in Burlington will actually be around 60 degrees, because that's what the readings were right after midnight early this morning. 

 It was in the 40s by dawn, and we'll struggle to make the low 50s today. That's only a little cooler than average for this time of year.

Most of us will have some frost overnight, then temperatures should recover to the  very normal 55 to 60 degree range by Friday afternoon under sunny skies.

Another sharp but mostly dry cold front comes through Saturday, briefly ushering in the coldest air of the season so far. Nothing like 1969, like I referenced above, but highs in the 40s Sunday will remind us winter isn't far off.  Pretty much everybody gets a hard freeze Sunday night and early Monday. 

Then, high pressure brings us another big late season heat wave brings us back up near 70 degrees next Tuesday and then lasting through Halloween. 

Conditions should remain drier than normal into early November at least.