Our next storm system will traverse the Midwest and lower Great Lakes (click for current warnings from the NWS) region and will arrive to our area late Thursday night in the form of snow, sleet, rain, and wind. This storm will bring blizzard conditions to some parts of Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin, then arrive to our area late Thursday night. The going forecast (as of Wednesday night) is for 2-4" in eastern VT and the mountains through Friday morning, meanwhile, this will be another mainly rain event for the Champlain Valley/far western VT. The morning commute Friday is bound to be slippery for many, with the possibility of school delays or closures for some (especially in eastern VT and NH). Snow and sleet will develop after 3 am Friday morning, and will gradually change to a wind-driven rain for many areas by midday and the evening Friday from south to north. The line will be fine...in fact, some of the highest mountain tops may stay as snow, allowing for perhaps 6" or more for some of the highest mountain areas. Otherwise, the change to rain for most will lead to a sloppy, raw Friday afternoon and evening across much of our region. Precipitation will taper off, once again, as snow showers through late Friday evening with perhaps a light valley coating, but more to come for the mountains through the weekend...(more on that below). You can also see the images (left) of our in house "Future Tracker" weather model to see the progression of precip and changeover by location.
Meanwhile, the winds will be whipping! Especially in the mountain tops winds will be very strong sustained at 40-60 mph with higher gusts possible. Down into the lower, more "residential" mountainous zones and hillside communities, winds may still be quite strong, sustained at 20-35 mph with gusts to 60 mph possible through Friday. As of Wednesday, a high wind watch has been posted (as a "heads up" for these areas.) With a southeasterly wind direction, many of the western slopes of the mountains could experience these gusts as well with downslope effects. A high wind watch has been issued (as of Wednesday evening) for these regions (see photo, left)...this will likely turn into a high wind warning as the storm gets closer and the threat of high wind arrives.
Plenty of clouds will linger through early Saturday. A cold front will cross the region, bringing a colder push, and will contribute to a redevelopment of snow in the mountains and western facing mountain slopes. Several inches of snow will likely accumulate in the mountains Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, the colder chilly sticks around for all right through Christmas Day.
To view the current forecast and any updates, click here to visit our weather page on fox44now.com
