One Last Little Vermont Storm, But Clouds Still Reign Supreme

That old familiar National Weather Service snowfall
prediction map. This time, a modest snowfall,
except maybe a decent dump in the far 
southern Green Mountains of Vermont. 

 Another day, another one with low overcast in areas of fog this Sunday morning in Vermont.

The fog wasn't as dense nor as widespread as its as Saturday morning, but the gloom for sure remains. 

We don't have any great news yet for people (like me!) yearning for sunshine, but at least the next bout of precipitation in the pipeline seems relatively harmless. It'll still cause a few issues, though. 

That comes later today and tonight, as a very west storm system passes by to our south later today and tonight. 

The further south you go in Vermont with this one, the more you'll notice it.  This will be mostly snow, but it's shaping up to be a wet snow.  In fact, it''ll be mixed with rain in southern Vermont valleys today before going over to all snow over night.  At least they're not calling for freezing rain. 

A winter storm warning is up for the high elevations of extreme southern Vermont. A good four to eight inches of wet snow is in the cards there, so I expect a few power outages.

A frozen spruce branch in St. Albans, Vermont
after frequent bouts of freezing fog and
freezing drizzle the past couple of days. 

The snow tapers off as you head north. A winter weather advisory is up for the rest of southern Vermont to an area a little north of Route 4. 

In the advisory zone, the National Weather Service in South Burlington is projecting three to six inches of wet snow, with perhaps a bit more than that in the high elevations of the Green Mountains. 

Central Vermont is kind of a wild card, with two or three inches on the table.  However, a few computer models - not the majority, though - give that area a little extra snow. 

North of Route 2, we're still expecting maybe a half inch to two inches at best. No biggie, really. 

In any event, roads will become iffy to hazardous, depending on how far south you are late this afternoon and overnight. Just to be on the safe side, if you need to get to or through southern Vermont, do it before mid-afternoon.

The storm does seem like it will linger into the Monday morning commute, so that snow will probably muck up travel, especially from Route 4 south. 

THE WEEK AHEAD

It's still looking rather quiet, but we're certainly not in for any wall to wall sunshine we've been craving. 

Temperatures through the week will stay a little above normal (Highs 28 to 38 most valleys, lows in the teens and lows 20s).  Things will probably trend somewhat colder by next weekend, but not intensely cold.  

The best chances for any sunshine are on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I'm thinking - hoping - that there might be decent intervals of sunshine both days, but it won't be absolutely clear. 

Colder weather disturbances look like they might arrive by Friday to bring us snow showers, and such by then. It's hard to say from this vantage point, but there might even be a snow squall or two thrown in the mix by then. 

However, the weather systems will be coming from the west and north, so they'll be moisture-starved. That means no big dumps of snow for us after today. At least for awhile. 

Snow Trouble Both Sides Of The Atlantic

Latest snow forecast from the National Weather Service
in South Burlington. Mid and high elevations can
expect perhaps six inches wet snow. Be alert, as
these totals might change substantially in the actual storm.

 EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND -  At my temporary perch in this Scottish city, we haven't gotten any snow so far in my stay. The hills around town yes, but not in the city center.  

But I see there's a snowy mess on both sides of the pond. Swaths of the UK, and elsewhere in Europe, have gotten some disruptive snows.

Meanwhile, it still looks like disruptive snows are in the cards for Vermont and surround areas. Let's take Vermont first.

Like the wet, heavy snowstorm back on November 27 that caused a mess and power outages, the one that's coming today and tonight in the Green Mountain State will easily surprise folks one way or another. 

Temperatures, like last time, will be marginal, very close to the freezing mark. That means, as  mentioned yesterday, if it ends up being a degree or two warmer than expected, it'll be mostly rain. If it's a degree or two cooler than what's in the forecast now, then the wet snow will be much more widespread.

Expect surprises.

The worst of the storm will run from this afternoon to early Monday morning.  Before we get there, freezing drizzle and freezing fog this morning near the Canadian border will cause some spotty ice and travel trouble, especially on bridges and overpasses. 

The heavier precipitation will move in this afternoon. It'll come down heavily at times tonight. The best chances of accumulating snow will be during the heavier bouts of precipitation overnight. That heavy stuff tends to cool the air enough so that if you're above freezing and raining, you'll likely switch to snow.

Once again, the higher you go the more snow you'll get. A winter storm warning is up for the Northeast Kingdom and high elevations of northeast New York, where six inches or more of wet slop is in the cards. 

Elsewhere in Vermont, a winter weather advisory is up for areas outside the immediate Champlain Valley and so far not including the state's southernmost counties. In these areas two to seven inches of sloppy wet snow is forecast, but there could be some surprises with higher totals if temperatures dip just a degree or two downward more than expected.

The immediate Champlain Valley can expect one or two inches, but again, be wary of any surprises that could boost totals overnight. 

As you've noticed, I keep mentioning heavy, wet snow. That means power failures are likely. That's especially true in  mid and high elevations where the snow should accumulate the most.

I can't emphasize enough the predicted snow amounts are not cast in stone.  This is a tricky storm.  My gut is sort of pushing me to expect a little more snow that's currently in the forecast, but it could really go either way.  Either a huge dump of wet snow, something in the middle, or perhaps, not as big a deal.

I'd get ready for a wet snowy mess with difficult travel early Monday and the risk of power outages. Get the LED candles and charge your devices by this evening to be on the safe side.

Whatever comes down will be quite a bit. Rain and melted snow will amount to 0.75 inches to 1.25 inches most areas, with some spots seeing higher amounts. That makes it a pretty substantial storm. 

Much lighter wet snow and rain will keep going Monday in most areas, but accumulations will be lighter and many areas will be above freezing. So things should improve during the day. 

Of course, it will get colder Monday night, so a combination of water freezing on roads and light snow showers will make the roads annoying again overnight and Tuesday morning. 

BRITAIN/EUROPEAN SNOW

Vermont isn't the only place that's dealing with heavy, wet snow. In some places on this side of the pond, there's plenty of it.

Here in Scotland, Edinburgh on the northeast coast hasn't gotten any snow, but we might get some today. The Met Office, the British equivalent of the National Weather Service has Edinburgh and most of eastern Scotland under a "yellow warning" for some snow and us. 

A yellow warning is the equivalent of a winter weather advisory, and not quite as dire as the equivalent of a winter storm warning.   

Snow is visible in the hills near Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Snow is already affected other areas of the UK. The Glasgow, Scotland airport had to suspend flights Saturday morning due to a burst of heavy snow.  The Midlands, Yorkshire and large parts of Wales are snowy, with roads and railways icy and slow.

Jackknifed trucks (I've learned to call them lorries here) blocked a major highway in Cumbria.  

Elsewhere in Europe, heavy snow shut down parts of Germany. Munich had no bus or train service Saturday after 16 inches of heavy, wet snow fell there.

Intense cold and heavy snow are also causing problems. Traffic was at a standstill around Prague in the Czech Republic. Austria and Switzerland are on the alert for avalanches. 

In both Vermont and western and central Europe, longer range forecasts call for somewhat milder conditions in about a week.