No Outdoor Brunches In Vermont Today: Wicked Cold As Expected

Had to re-up the cold air hurts my face
to illustrate the Arctic blast we're in the
midst of experiencing. 

 Sure enough, it was solidly below zero everywhere in Vermont this morning  as we "enjoy" our blast of Arctic air courtesy of the lovely folks over in Siberia. 

I guess we can rejoice in the fact that this isn't record cold. Just unpleasantly nippy. 

As is usually the case in the first full morning of a cold wave like this, temperatures across Vermont were pretty uniform as the day started. 

Almost everyone in Vermont had temperatures in the single numbers below zero as of 8 a.m. today.  

A north wind is keeping the atmosphere mixed so everybody gets to enjoy roughly the same level of cold. 

Had it been clear with calm winds, temperatures would be all over the place this morning, with  relative warm and cold pockets. That's what we have coming tomorrow. More on that in a bit.

Winds were a little lighter in northern New York, and temperatures were in the teens below most places there. 

Watertown, New York went to calm winds overnight and, incredibly, they got down 35 below. Actual temperature, not the wind chill.

Speaking of wind chill, it felt like it was in the 20s below across most of Vermont this morning with north winds blowing at around 10 mph, give or take. As my headline suggests, take your brunch inside a cozy restaurant, maybe near the fireplace. 

The wind will keep us feeling frigid all day today. But, the core of the very coldest air is moving out, and the sun will also more or less shine most of the day. That means we should get above zero for actual temperatures this afternoon. Those north winds will keep blowing, so we can expect wind chills in the teens below through the day.  

Watch out if you're crazy enough to go skiing or something 52 blike that today. The wind chills on those exposed slopes could be ridiculous. The wind chill on Mount Marcy, New York last evening was 63 below. On Mount Mansfield, it was 52 below.

It'll be a little better up there today, but not by much. 

TONIGHT AND BEYOND

About as wintry a satellite view as you can get. This
one, taken Sunday morning, shows solid snow cover
remaining all the way down to Virginia. Those clouds
you see off the entire East Coast are caused by
frigid air flowing over warmer Atlantic water. 

The second night of a Vermont cold spell like this gets hard to predict. Some places will still have breezes that will prevent temperatures from completely bottoming out. Some sheltered valleys could end up with calm winds and readings well into the 20s below by dawn tomorrow. 

Also, there might be some areas of cloudy skies around for awhile tonight. If they clear out fast, it'll turn colder. If the clouds hang on, it won't be quite as bad.  So, please forgive your local Vermont meteorologist if they tell you tonight's lows across the state will range from minus 5 to near 25 below. 

Monday still looks like it will be another cold day as the frigid Arctic high pressure only begrudgingly. That high will probably be right on top of us during the day, so expect sunny skies, light winds and highs in the low to mid teens. Not that bad, honestly. 

After another subzero start to the day Tuesday, clouds will fill in ahead of the next little Alberta Clipper storm from Canada. That'll probably deposit another one to three inches of snow on the Green Mountain State Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Unlike several other Alberta Clippers in recent weeks, this one won't have particularly frigid air behind it. It looks like we'll have a few days of average, quiet weather late in the week. Average this time of year means highs in the 25 to 32 degree range with lows between 5 and 15 degrees.  

Maybe we're turning a corner. There's actually a chance this weekend might be the coldest weather we'll see until next winter. Of course, I might have just  jinxed us into being in the 20s below until April. Let's hope not! 

After Vermont 26 Degree Monday Heatwave, Below Zero Again This Morning. If You Want Super Arctic Cold, It's Coming

The sun getting ready to set over Lake Champlain, as
seen from St. Albans Bay Monday after a bright, 
bluebird winter day. 

Another round of subzero cold Monday and this morning has very nearly frozen over, despite an afternoon "heat wave" that brought temperatures into the 20s.  

Lake Champlain might have managed one last lake effect snow of the season a couple days ago, on Sunday. 

There was enough open water, combined with just the right atmospheric set up, for a light stripe of snow extending from about Burton Island down to about Bridport. A dusting to up to inches of snow fell in this band.

Time lapse video on  appeared to show a wide area of open water filling in with ice in calm, cold weather Monday morning; 

But it was all just thin scrim of ice that broke into chunks. There was still a fair amount of open water out there.  We'll see what the predawn chill did today on the lake. 

The temperature in Burlington Monday rose to 26 degrees ending a nine day streak where the temperature never got to 20 degrees. That's the longest such stretch of such cold weather since a 12-day stretch of sub-20 degree weather January,  2005. 

Now that we're into February, the sun is starting to get higher in the sky and
stronger. With light winds, yesterday's bluebird skies and sun  felt strangely comfortable out there for a change. 

Nothing lasts forever, though.  Especially anything that feels remotely mild. So, with clear, moonlit skies last night, we were back below zero this morning. 

It still looks like we will make it up into the 20s today, tomorrow and maybe, maybe Thursday and Friday. We also might get a bit of snow tonight  Wednesday, but it shouldn't amount to much. Maybe a dusting in the valleys, o an inch or two in the northern Greens.

Obviously we can't stay balmy forever.  Highs in the 20s is way, way more than we deserve.  (CHECK)

With that, we will get right back into the deep freeze Friday and the weekend. It'll come in Friday night with maybe an inch or two of snow. You will really notice the chill starting Friday night and over the weekend. 

My early guess on the weekend cold is it might be the roughest in the series yet. Current have forecasts have highs in the single numbers and lows in the single numbers and teens below zero. 

That's similar to the depth of the past couple of cold waves. The difference this time will be the wind. This time, gusts are likely to blast at us from the north over the weekend. These won't just be  light, frigid breezes. It'll be a bonafide wind.

The wind chills will make the upcoming cold wave worse and more dangerous than the weather we've seem recently

A WARMER CHANGE?

We might get a little bit of additional relief after this next cold wave passes next week. 

I wrote a few days ago that there might be a change in the weather pattern after mid-month. I am getting more optimistic that we might at least temporarily turn milder later in February.

If NOAA's eight to 14 day outlook is to be believed, the big high pressure over Greenland that forced cold air southward recently is on the move. It looks like it will shift a bit toward northeast Canada while expanding southward a bit. 

That, and a possible slight dip in the jet stream over the western United States would make the jet stream flow more west to east across the United States. Instead of Arctic air coming right at us from northwest Canada, some milder Pacific air would at least occasionally mix into the air over us. 

That's not guaranteed just yet, but it's the best sign of a warmup I've seen yet in this Arctic siege.  By warmup, I don't mean beach weather. It's February. It'll still be chilly most days later in the month.  Just not way below zero cold. 

The new weather pattern would also probably increase the chances of storms with snow or mixed precipitation. It won't be all rainbows and sunshine and puppy dogs and fairy dust. 

 

Nation Faces Days Of Extreme Cold, And Huge Winter Storm Of Ice And Snow (Vermont Forecast Included)

Huge area in red on this map is expected to be affected
by a massive winter storm this weekend. 

The next several days will be peak winter across most of the United States.

And downright dangerous. 

Most of the northern tier of the United States from North Dakota to New England is in for intense cold. In northern Minnesota, wind chills could drop into the mid 50s below zero.  

Even worse, a massive winter storm is taking shape. It'll extend from eastern New Mexico, , through the southern and central Great Plains, then across  much of the South and the eastern United States.

The placement of who gets the worst of it is still a little in question, but the area affected will be massive. 

A large area across the South is expecting a crippling ice storm. Those most affected will endure possibly days-long power outages and severe tree damage. To the north of the ice, snow accumulation in some areas might be measured in feet, not inches. 

People across the South away from the immediate Gulf Coast are being told to stock up on food and supplies, just in case. 

The storm won't really start until Friday, but the warnings are already sounding pretty dire. Ryan Maue, a former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told the Associated Press that the storm could be a "widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas....I don't know how people are going to deal with it."

The odd thing is this won't be a huge, strong low pressure system causing the problem. Instead, a massive blob of heavy, frigid Arctic air will press down into the southern United States. Then, a wet flow of warm, lighter, humid air will glide over this bitter cold air. The rising air will unleash a barrage of snow and freezing rain onto the millions of southerners shivering on the ground below. 

The storm will likely consolidate and finally grow stronger near the East Coast toward Sunday night. 

New Mexico and Texas will be hit first on Friday, then everything will spread eastward and eventually somewhat northward through the weekend and into the beginning of next week. 

This could easily become the first weather disaster of the year costing $1 billion or more. We'll have much more on this over the next several days as the storm develops.  

VERMONT IMPACTS

A classic cold winter afternoon sky yesterday over
St. Albans, Vermont. By this weekend, we'll
REALLY be shivering in subzero cold. 

Frankly, we're in for some miserable midwinter weather in Vermont, but overall, we're lucky.

We won't be nearly as cold as places like Minnesota. That massive storm should either give us a slight glancing blow, or not affect us at all.  

But we have a bit of snow in the forecast, some wind, and eventually that bitter cold air. Even when the chill eases off a bit toward the beginning of next week, we'll be mostly on the colder than normal side  right into February. Possibly through most of February. 

A series of weak weather fronts will harass us today through Friday. A lame warm front today will spread light snow through most of Vermont this afternoon and evening. Almost everyone will see an inch or less of accumulation. The mountains, as always, could pick up a bit more than that.

But even that little bit will probably make the roads a little iffy for the drive home from work this evening. 

The warm front will bring temperatures to the low 20s this afternoon, then those readings will hold steady tonight. In the Champlain Valley. Temperatures will actually slowly warm up overnight as south winds gust to 40 mph or even a bit more. 

Enjoy tomorrow, as it will be the last warm-ish day for quite awhile. Highs should briefly reach the low or even mid 30s in a few spots. A cold front coming at us will probably set off more afternoon and evening snow showers. A few spots away from the Champlain Valley might even see a brief snow squall. 

Once again, though, most places will see an inch or less, with - as always - a little more in the mountains. Like today, tomorrow's snow showers could once again make your drive home from work or school tomorrow afternoon a little annoying.

Thursday's cold front won't introduce us to the super cold air. It'll only get a little chillier. Another cold front on Friday will be the one to make us absolutely miserable. 

The first half of Friday should be OK, with temperatures within a few degrees either side of 20. But the wind will pick up and the temperature will fall all afternoon. Wind chill alerts will probably be issued starting later Friday and going through much of the weekend. 

We'll start the day with subzero temperatures Saturday morning, and those of us who get above zero Saturday afternoon will be the lucky ones.

Saturday night will be super cold. Early guesses are teens below zero. That's not even close to record cold territory, but it's much worse than what we've gotten used to. Clouds from that massive storm in the south might - again if we're lucky - keep us from getting even colder.

That huge storm is forecast to pass far to our south Sunday night. An early guess has it heading off the coast around Delaware.  Some of the forecast models are suggesting a little snow could make it all the way north into Vermont Sunday night despite our great distance from the storm. 

That moisture will be battling the very dry, cold air over us, so I'm still dubious as to whether we'll get any snow. I'll keep an open mind, though. 

It'll probably stay cold through next week and probably beyond, but it won't be quite as bad as what we'll deal with this coming weekend. 

New England In For Biggest Bout Of Cold And Snow This Winter, With A Snowstorm Thrown IN

Despite some concern that forecasts could shift a lot
the expected snowfall map, released by the 
National Weather Service Sunday morning, is little
changed from forecasts we saw yesterday. 

 Central New England is set to have arguably its biggest snowstorm of the winter while the entire region plunges into our long awaited Arctic blast. 

Up here in Vermont, high temperatures for today were just after midnight, as it was still in the 30s.  Those temperatures were crashing downward as of dawn. They might level off a bit at midday, then crash more tonight.

As those temperatures are crashing, our fast moving nor'easter still is laying down or plans to lay down a stripe of fairly heavy snow from the mountains of western North Carolina and east Tennessee northeastward up through West Virginia, western Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania, northwest New Jersey, parts of New York and most of the southeastern half of New England. 

Due to the fast forward pace of this nor'easter, I don't think anybody will have incredible amounts of snow. Few places will see up to a foot. Most of the worst hit areas will have a half foot or a little more, But while the storm is passing through, it will snow really hard, at a rate of one to two inches per hour.

That's more than enough to really screw up travel. 

The heaviest snow will pass through this afternoon in the Middle Atlantic States and this evening in New England. 

VERMONT EFFECTS

All through yesterday and last night, I saw lots of potential for the expected heaviest snowfall to shift either further north into more of Vermont, or shift away from the state.

So far, though, the forecasts have remained pretty consistent.  The band of heaviest snow should brush southernmost parts of the state, which is why Bennington and Windham counties are still under a winter storm warning. 

Those areas are still expecting four to eight inches of new snow, with it coming down at a healthy rate of an inch per hour this evening. 

Just north of the winter storm warning, and roughly just south and east of a line from Middlebury, through Montpelier to St. Johnsbury, a winter weather advisory is up. Those areas look like they can expect a quick shot of three to seven inches of snow, 

Amounts should taper off pretty fast as you head further northwest. For the Champlain Valley, it looks like one to three inches. Maybe even less as you get way up to the northwest corner of the state up by Alburgh.

MORE STORM DETAILS:

It'll be interesting to see how well the snow will punch northwestward across the state. It'll be battling that frigid Arctic air that is flooding in.   That air is super dry, and could evaporate the snow in the northwest as it tries to fall.  That could lead to a forecast bust, with perhaps little or no snow falling up there. We shall see.

In fact, there is still some hemming and hawing as of Sunday morning as to how this storm will play out. The consensus is what I've written about above, but there's still the risk of a surprise bigger dump, or a big whiff.  Like all New England nor'easters, almost nothing is guaranteed.

While it is snowing this evening and overnight, temperatures will be falling through the teens into the single digits. That's really cold for a snowfall, and guarantees the snow will be very fluffy and light.

Given that nor'easters have a good breeze with them, we should have lots of problems with blowing and drifting snow during and after the storm. 

Even though the snow will be pretty much over with by the time you get up Monday morning, roads will still be snow covered and slippery, with drifts. Remember, road salt won't be working very well, so don't rely on the state highway department salt shaker trucks to solve every problem.

THE COLD

Although this will be far from the worst cold wave Vermont and New England can possibly experience, it's still worth taking it seriously. Temperatures should stay in the teens by day and near zero by night coming up early this week even in southern New England.

Up here in Vermont, daytime highs Monday through Wednesday still look like they'll be in the single numbers to maybe low teens. Overnight lows will be below zero.

Stiff winds Monday and Tuesday should keep wind chills in the teens below zero. Those planning a ski holiday in the mountains will really want to take care. Wind chills high up on the ski slopes Monday and Tuesday should end up in the 30s below zero.

The Arctic cold will last into Thursday morning before temperatures start to warm up to more seasonable, comfortable levels. 

The New England nor'easter and cold snap is part of a wild week the United States is having over the next few days.  Winter storm watches are up along the Gulf Coast of all places for expected snow and ice.

Bitter cold is gripping most of the nation from the Rockies east. And another round of dangerous, strong, dry fire-spreading winds are on tap for southern California. I'll cover all this in more detailed, separate posts today. 

Just Some Of The Examples Of Wild Weather In U.S.

Virtually all of the nation east of a Portland, Oregon -
El Paso, Texas line is under wind chill, or storm 
alerts as of this afternoon. The huge red area in the
northern Plains is an immense blizzard warning.
Pink is winter storm warnings. The vast majority
of the blue shadings are wind chill alerts 

The long-anticipated horribly cold weather and winter storm was ramping up to full throttle in the United States this afternoon, and it will only get worse. And spread.  

So far, three deaths have been attributed to the storm, originating from vehicle crashes on icy highways in Kansas and Oklahoma. 

That toll will surely rise as dangerous conditions worsen and cover more territory. 

Various dangerous situations have already been cropping up. For instance, about 100 people were stranded in cars amid a blizzard and scary wind chills on Interstate 90 between Rapid City and Wall, South Dakota. 

The wind chill there during this whiteout was in the minus 40s below zero. 

As of 2:15 p.m. early afternoon, more than 1,900 flights in the United States were canceled and nearly 4,800 were delayed, according to flightaware.com

That number, not surprisingly, has been rising all day. Not only from cumulative effects but the fact the bad weather was quickly spreading. 

When the Arctic cold front hit any particular location, people living there sure knew it. 

When the cold front arrived in Denver, it was powerful enough to create a haboob (dust storm). The temperature fell from 41 degrees to 5 degrees in just one hour. The temperature fell 61 degrees between 2 p.m. and midnight in Denver  

The temperature ultimately ended up at 24 below in Denver Thursday morning, the second coldest December temperature on record in the Mile High City. 

Down in Amarillo, the temperature fell from 42 degrees to 11 degrees in just an hour.

Cheyenne, Wyoming was even more impressive. The temperature there fell by 32 degrees in just nine minutes when the cold front blustered through yesterday. 

Meanwhile, in Casper, Wyoming sank to 42 below zero, it's coldest temperature for any date on record. Data for Casper goes back to 1939.

Further east, things weren't really that bad in Chicago until about 11 a.m. local time today. Then, the front arrived, the temperature plunged snow broke out and the wind picked up. It'll keep deteriorating out there the rest of the day and night. 

Grocery and hardware stores, liquor outlets and cannabis distributors in Chicago reported huge crowds of people stocking up before the storm arrived, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Buffalo, New York often gets buried in lake effect snow, but it rarely rises to the level of full blown blizzard because the winds during these things aren't strong enough to qualify. 

Not this time. 

It's raining in Buffalo, now. But starting tomorrow morning, it's a completely new reality. An ugly one. Buffalo is forecasting 37 inches of snow, winds gusting to 65 mph and wind chills going way below zero. I can't imagine how tall the snow drifts will be when all that is said and done. 

Winter storms usually don't warrant a presidential briefing, but President Joe Biden was filled in on the chaos today from the National Weather Service."This is really a very serious weather alert here," Biden told reporters after the briefing. "This is not a snow day when you were a kid. This is serious stuff."

So far, temperatures in at least 18 states have dipped below zero, and that's not including the wind chill. That number will go up.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. This huge winter blast won't last all that long. Long forecasters indicate that virtually the entire Lower 48 will be bathed in at least slightly above normal temperatures within a week. 

 

Saturday Morning Vermont Chill, And Unwelcome Changes To Storm Forecast

An early crack at predicted snow accumulations from 
the National Weather Service in South Burlington. 
Most of the heavier snow goes toward New York. 
After an initial thump of snow, Vermont faces 
a good chance of mixed precipitation. 

 The wind chill as I got up early this Saturday morning was right where forecasters said they would be. In other words, ridiculous.  

Actual temperatures were in the upper single digits below zero in the "warmer" Banana Belt communities to the teens below in most of the rest of the state. Wind chills were solidly in the 30s below zero.  Just stay indoors. 

I'm SO glad I'm working from home at the moment, and my only exposure to this insane cold is when I let the dogs out.  Trust me, they don't stay out long in this weather. 

Only slight improvements will go on today as the wind just very slowly subsides and temperatures struggle to reach highs within a few degrees of zero.  It'll stay below zero across most of northern Vermont outside the Champlain Valley. 

Tonight will be just as cold as last night, as we get back into the teens below zero. At least the wind won't be blowing so much, though. 

STORM UPDATE

Before it gets here, the well-advertised storm is going to cause a lot of havoc in the South.  Heavy snow and ice is still in the forecast from Arkansas to the Carolinas.  Inland South Carolina faces the prospect of an ice storm, enough to drop trees and power lines, and make highways impassable. 

Then the storm goes up the East Coast, laying down a stripe of heavy snow from the Carolina mountains all the way to western New York Sunday night and Monday.

Yeah, but what about us?  The latest updates have the storm going right over Vermont, or perhaps up the Champlain Valley.  Sounds great, until you realize a storm scoring a direct hit on Vermont is not the type that gives us a ton of snow.  

The heaviest band of snow is usually displaced well to the west of the storm center, which is why western New York and the St. Lawrence Valley, along with places like Ottawa and perhaps the easter suburbs of Toronto are under the gun for up to a foot of snow. 

Along the East Coast, this will be mostly rain, but there will be a risk of storm surge flooding, especially around Long Island and Connecticut.

Here in Vermont, we'll probably get a decent thump of snow early Monday as the approaches.  Moisture riding north on the front side of the storm will rise up and over the cold air we'll have over us, and that will be enough to cause a few hours of decent snowfall.

But the warm air will win out, especially aloft.  Precipitation rates will decrease, but most of the Green Mountain State is beginning to look like it will have a period of light sleet, perhaps a bit of freezing rain or even rain for awhile on Monday. 

The inland track of the storm also gives us a risk of strong winds, especially along the western slopes of the Green Mountains.  It's not 100 percent clear if very strong winds aloft will be able to mix down to the surface, but they might.  If this happens, there could be a short period of some damaging winds along the western slopes, especially in Rutland County. We'll have to keep an eye on that. 

The rest of us will see some raw east winds during a good portion of the storm. 

As the storm moves into Quebec later Monday, winds will swing around to the northwest, changing everything back to snow.  There might not be much additional accumulation in the valleys, but west slopes of the central and northern Green Mountains could pick up a few more inches Monday night and early Tuesday.

Overall, the National Weather Service in South Burlington is going with total snow accumulation of four to six inches. Eastern slopes of the southern Green Mountains might pick up a little more than that, and parts of the Northeast Kingdom could get a little less.

This scenario of how the storm will play out is still not cast in stone.  There's still a small chance it could jog a little east and give us a bit more snow. Or it could keep trending west and give us a little less. Or there could be other surprises.

But for now, this is the most likely scenario.  It's that type of winter, isn't it. Either it's too cold to enjoy the outdoors, or we're getting ice and schmutz.  It's kind of hard to get a happy medium of powder out there this year. 

In Like A Lion: Plunging Temperatures, Snow Squalls High Winds, Wind Chills

This massive snow pile builds up in front of my house
in the winter from the shoveled driveway and the snow that
cascades off my roof. Photo from Feb. 23.......

 It was nice out early this morning in Vermont, relatively speaking.  

Temperatures were above freezing, the south winds carried the whiff of spring with them, that is until the skunk sprayed somewhere outside my St. Albans, Vermont house.

That skunk was itself a sign of spring. They become more active during early spring thaws. 

Please don't get used to spring, though.  We're for a rather rough winter ride on this first day of meteorological spring. March in Vermont is coming in like a very chilly lion. 

Expect plunging temperatures, the potential for some dangerous snow squalls, a flash freeze for your afternoon commute, winds strong enough to cause a few power outages, and by later tonight and tomorrow, some frigid wind chills.

Let's unpack it for you:

A first cold front was coming through pretty early this morning with some scattered, light rain showers. That'll put a cap on the temperatures today. Today's high temperatures will come this morning, and then start to fall behind this first cold front. 

The atmosphere a few thousand feet above us will be cooling faster than the air down where we live. Breaks of sunshine will - for while - temper the rate readings fall down here. That will help make the atmosphere more unstable this afternoon.  The greater the difference between the temperature on the ground and the air a few thousand feet up, the greater the chances of snow squalls.

So on warm days, like Sunday,  I start to shovel that massive
pile back onto the driveway to quickly melt on the blacktop
If I get rid of a lot of this pile, water doesn't back up into the
basement in the spring. I have to declare a halt to this snow pile
destruction this week because it will be too cold for any
snow to melt on the driveway.

These snow squalls will tend to hit this afternoon and evening, as the second Arctic cold front comes in 

This is very bad timing, as people who are not working from home will have to drive home in it.   

It'll be tricky, too. Some places will only get flurries, while just a couple of miles up the road, a blinding snow squall will be hitting and the water on the road will be turning to glare us. 

Surprises are bad. You're cruising along in your car at top speed and suddenly you're on a skating rink in a blizzard. 

So let's be careful out there.

The next problem is high winds.

The Arctic air will roar in this evening and overnight on strong northwest winds. Most of us will gust past 40 mph.  Some of us will have it worse, with gusts as high as 55 mph.  

That's especially true on the east slopes of the Green Mountains. The wind will gain momentum howling down the eastern slopes of those mountains, accelerating the wind. Though I doubt power outages will be widespread, they'll be happening. 

Along and after that comes the wind chill. By morning, actual temperatures will be near 0 with wind chills in the minus 20s. 

It'll be slightly better Tuesday afternoon with some sunshine and winds diminishing, but it will still be very cold for this time of year with highs in the teens.

This Arctic blast will go away really fast and we'll get a brief break Wednesday with highs in the mid and upper 30s.

But another regime of winter weather is hot on its heels.  The next one won't be as frigid as the one tonight and tomorrow, but it will last a lot longer.  Expect below normal temperatures and readings continuously below freezing Thursday through Sunday.  Highs on the coldest days will barely make it to 20, and nights will be in the single digits. 

During that cold spell during the late week and weekend, weak disturbances will zip through, creating frequent chances for snow showers, but fortunately nothing heavy. 

Winter Blasts Where They're Not Supposed To Happen

All those blues and purples you see on today's National
Weather Service home page are winter storm warnings, 
watches and advisories, and wind chill warnings and
advisories. By Sunday, these winter storms will
extend all the way down to the Texas Gulf Coast. 

 If you enjoy the harsh, stormy, frigid weather we're used to in a Vermont winter, it seems the best thing to do for the next few days is go to Portland, Oregon. Or Dallas. Or Houston. 

Seems odd for sure, but those areas are getting hammered by for what they all consider some really extreme winter weather. 

The big blob of frigid Arctic air that has been sitting over south-central Canada and the northern Plains of the United States has oozed westward, allowing the usual parade of storms coming off the Pacific Ocean to take on a very wintry character. 

Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon do get snow from time to time, but this round is something, especially for areas around Portland. Some areas near Portland could get up to an inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain. That's more than enough to bring down trees and power lines. 

In the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, blizzard conditions are expected to develop tonight. In Portland itself, a half a foot of snow could come down.

Things will get even more dramatic as these storms from the Pacific dive down toward Texas and the Gulf Coast.

Remember yesterday I mentioned the jet stream is bending, taking a deep dive from the northern Plains toward Texas. This will bring the super cold up there down to Oklahoma and Texas.  Combined with the storms, things will get downright dangerous in the Lone Star State and Oklahoma, mostly because they're not use to weather more typical of Vermont than a southern state 

In most of Oklahoma, six to 12 inches of snow is expected between now and Monday. What's especially odd is the forecast temperatures during this.  During the storm, Oklahoma City is expecting a high temperature of 12 degrees with a low of 0. 

That's wicked cold for them, and it's unusually chilly even for a snowstorm up in our neck of the woods. By Monday morning, Oklahoma City temperatures should be down around 6 below, which is record territory for them.  Another snowstorm is possible around Wednesday. 

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has endured more winter horribleness than they want. That massive highway pileup Thursday in Fort Worth involving about 130 vehicles ended up killing six people and injuring 65 others  -  a terrible tragedy. 

After some more patchy freezing drizzle through Saturday a snowstorm will begin in earnest around Dallas later in the weekend, with near blizzard conditions expected. 

Even more remarkably, the winter conditions will go all the way to Houston, where an ice storm and some snow is a good bet toward Sunday and Monday.  Temperatures there by Monday morning will be around 15 degrees, which is, again, record cold.

This will be the most intense and longest lasting cold snap around Houston in at least 30 years, so people there will need to hunker down. 

There's going to be a LOT of damage in Texas as crops freeze and water pipes burst in countless homes and businesses. Remember, winter insulation in buildings isn't a thing there like it is here in Vermont. 

As we talked about yesterday, after the jet stream takes that big plunge toward Texas, it will then curve northward up the East Coast. 

That means the cold air in Texas won't be able to work its way to the Southeastern United States. For instance, Atlanta expects high temperatures in the fairly normal 50s for most of the upcoming week. 

That developing bend in the jet stream up the East Coast still seems destined to bring us more storminess here in Vermont.  Most of the storms have been heading off the coast well south of us, so it hasn't snowed much here lately, except on February 2.

It still remains to be seen whether a storm on Tuesday will come up close enough to give us a lot of snow, but it does seem the chances are better for that than previous storms.  This Tuesday storm could still miss northern Vermont.  Not sure yet, we'll have to wait and see for updated forecasts.

That bend in the jet steam could become so sharp that it takes the next good-sized storm from the eastern Gulf of Mexico inland instead of along the coast. If that happens, we in Vermont might end up with a bunch of ugly mixed precipitation or even some plain rain at the end of next week. There's still a roughly equal possibility that late week storm could stay all snow.  Again, we have to wait for updated forecasts.