half a dry weekend is better than none

High pressure will slide east and offshore today, allowing complex low pressure to push toward the state through the day. As this low pressure deepens and slows across the northeast later tonight into Sunday widespread rainfall, occasionally heavy at times will spread across the state. By Monday the low should weaken and slide slowly south, allowing rainfall to slowly taper off by later in the day.

cool then warm

High pressure will move across Vermont today and tonight. This will bring dry weather and plenty of sunshine to the area. The dry weather will be short lived though, as an upper level trough of low pressure moves into the state tomorrow. This low will bring clouds, rain, and cool temperatures. However, high pressure is expected to return on Thursday with sunshine and warmer temperatures.

warm start to May

Sunday was the warmest day of the year so far, but no record highs. It was close though. Both Burlington’s 85 and Montpelier’s 84 were just one degree shy of their records set in 2001.

way warmer

Burlington’s 79, Montpelier’s 78 and St J’s 77 Friday smashed old record highs. Burlington 79 was 14 degrees higher than the old record of 65; that’s smashed.

Looks like we do it again today.

in his words

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."

Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1926

one unusual March

This was one of the least snowiest March’s in generations; less than an inch in many locations.

At the Burlington NWS office it was the sixth least snowiest on record (their records go back well over a hundred years). You have to go back to 1953 to find a March with less snow than this year’s.

sugarin' season update

Upcoming week likely last call of area Sugarers. Weather could work out.

Talked Saturday with Doug Bragg of the Bragg Farm Sugar House in E. Montpelier about Sugarin’ Season. Like those before him at the farm, Doug still uses buckets and a wood fired evaporator.

He said he is a little disappointed in the quantity so far, but very happy with the generally excellent quality. He feels he has about 2/3 of an average season and is optimistic about a few last good runs over the next week.

it had to end

Friday was the first day in the last 47 (!) with below average temperatures. Despite good sun, it felt “wintery” with daytime temperature mostly in the 20s, (the day’s highs actually came with the predawn cloud cover and were 30ish.

The string of 46 consecutive days with above average goes back to February 8th.

When the consecutive streak started, the normal average daily temperature was 18 degrees and when it ended (march 26th) the normal daily average temperature was 34 degrees.

Not only is this amazing just for the number of days, but for the fact that it wasn’t just a slightly above most of those days, but well above; it actually averaged 9.0 degrees warmer than normal during that incredible stretch.

its been warmer

While our warm weather is well above average (15-20 degrees), it is not close to record setting. Mid-March record highs are generally 70ish. For the 17th Burlington’s record high is 69 Montpelier’s 70 even. Both were set in 1990.

morning lows

Temperatures were down in the teens for the first time in weeks (3)this Saturday morning. We even had a single digit reading.

Some of the coldest readings were, no surprise, in the Northeast Kingdom. Both Sutton and Gallup Mills dropped to 11 and the Island Pond Airport, again no surprise, had the coldest, with just 7.

top ten finish

With a monthly average of 26 degrees even, it turned out to be the 8th warmest February on record at the NWS in Burlington.

something up her sleeve

Even with all our technology and sophistication, Mother Nature can still surprise… 19.3 inches here yesterday. I did not see that coming!

Imagine too, if it had been powder, we could easily have doubled our accumulations.

mixed reviews

For the first time in nearly five weeks, a snowfall of over two inches here. Good news, bad news- the snow drought is over.
Good news for winter recreation, bad news for drivers and utility/road crew workers; this stuff is heavy! Be prepared for some power outages today.

Drip…drip…drip…

Light sap flow here on the hill Monday. If we do get some snow the next few days, it could be good for early sugarin'.

two inches?

It ended up more like two flakes; the snow drought here continues.

From the NWS Burlington: “so far this month have received only 2.7 inches of snowfall. The least amount of snowfall for the entire month of February was 1.3inches in February 1957...followed by 2.0 inches in February 1961.
Climate records for Burlington go back to 1884.”

two little, too long

Looking forward to at least a little white today. Last time I saw even two inches of snowfall here on the hill was January 18… almost 4 weeks ago! Since then, there have been two falls of just under two inches, and on the 18th it was only 3.1.

It’ll be interesting to see if I even get two inches today.

not all bad

Our thin snow cover may annoy winter recreation enthusiasts, but the deer must be very enthusiastic; they are now free to move about the countryside. This is not just a convenience, but a significant survival factor. A more varied diet is good; being able to escape predators is great.

the shadow knows

No shadows here on Hollister Hill at sunrise, according to folklore this portends an early Spring. Actually, with the thin snow cover, almost looks like early Spring already.

“Half your wood and half your hay, should be left on Candlemas Day.”

Groundhog or Candlemas Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 (winter’s mid-point). According to folklore, if a groundhog, emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, if the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas and the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 2 and also involves weather prognostication.

Here in northern Vermont, it really doesn’t matter if there were any shadows this morning, we know there’s always plenty of winter left.

it's back... the cold that is

The thaw is most definitely over. Below average temperatures should be the rule into midweek next week and today we have “significant” wind chill.

As the cold front blew through Thursday evening, picked up 1.6 inches of new snow. The wind has made the thin snow cover here very uneven; generally a trace up to 6 inches on the ground on Hollister Hill.

thoughts on the thaw

What a yesterday!

Black ice (2 dead), then record high (Montpelier 51) plus record rain (Burlington 1.10), wind damage, flooding (minor, but in Montpelier still scary), and loss of most of our lower elevation snow cover (won’t be needing those snowshoes for awhile).

Sometimes I do, but mostly, I don’t like … January thaws.

coulda been, shoulda been

Today ends our string of eight days with above average temperatures. The chill won’t last long as warmth and rain are still expected Monday.

Late Sunday into Monday will be a negative snow event. We will lose a good deal of snow cover, and that, combined with the rain that could have been snow, will mean a big hit for winter recreation.

what a guy

Today's the birth anniversary (1706) of Benjamin Franklin, statesman, founding father and America's first meteorological scientist. We are all familiar with his work on lightning, but did you know…

In 1755, Franklin had the opportunity to observe first-hand a large whirlwind or dust devil. As it passed, he gave chase, thus also making him America's first storm chaser. Franklin's observations of this whirlwind were recorded in a letter to Peter Collinson.

Being in Maryland, riding with Colonel Tasker, and some other gentlemen to his country-seat, where I and my son were entertained by that amiable and worthy man with great hospitality and kindness, we saw in the vale below us, a small whirlwind beginning in the road, and shewing itself by the dust it raised and contained.
It appeared in the form of a sugar-loaf, spinning on its point, moving up the hill towards us, and enlarging as it came forward. When it passed by us, its smaller part near the ground, appeared no bigger than a common barrel, but widening upwards, it seemed, at 40 or 50 feet high, to be 20 or 30 feet in diameter. The rest of the company stood looking after it, but my curiosity being stronger, I followed it, riding close by its side, and observed its licking up, in its progress, all the dust that was under its smaller part. As it is a common opinion that a shot, fired through a water-spout, will break it, I tried to break this little whirlwind, by striking my whip frequently through it, but without any effect.

this time last year

1/16/09- widespread record lows; Burlington was -21, Montpelier -26, St J bottomed out at -29, and Morrisville was -32. It was the coldest morning of the month/winter… I like it better this year.

Of note, it was just the opposite January 16th in 1995 when we were seeing record highs in the 60s!

forget the beef

... where’s the snow? It’s all in the Champlain Valley don’t you know.

This is now the snowiest January on record in Burlington. 5.6 inches Friday evening brought the NWS office’s monthly snow total 43.8” beating out, the now second place, 42.4” in January ’66. It is also now the 7th snowiest “any” month, and there’s still plenty of this month left.

Snowfall totals are much less exciting east of the Greens.

making contact

Hello and Happy New Year. Who are you? Please take a minute to touch base at bobindatower@gmail.com.

location, location, location.

While Washington County (Orange and others) this weekend received less than 6” of snow, Chittenden County got dumped on to the tune of over two feet in many locations. This Monday morning, the National Weather Service office in S. Burlington reported a total of 33.1!

tap, tap

If you haven’t checked your barometer yet, do so soon. Early this morning we had some of the lowest pressure of the year. Even though snowfall totals vary widely, and the storm is well to Vermont's northeast, the strength of the coastal low can still be seen in our pressure readings.