Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Colder weather pattern supports additional snowfall for the VT high country with some spring-like days sprinkled in

The duration of March will feature some sprint-like days, especially over low lying valley areas. That said, winter 2023-2024 isn't done and the weather pattern for the foreseeable future favors several opportunities for additional snowfall and a few multi-day periods of colder weather capable of keeping temperatures below the freezing mark across the mountains. 

Temperatures will drop into the 20's Wednesday morning before one such spring-like period begins with readings climbing into the 40's during the afternoon followed by near 50-degree temperatures Thursday near base areas. Clouds will be more prevalent Thursday as low pressure approaches from the southwest. It will pretty mild when precipitation from this feature arrives from this feature, mild enough for rain or mixed precipitation in valley locations. We are on the colder side of this system however and this means some additional wet snowfall for the high country early Friday. I wouldn't expect a lot, 2-5 inches of pretty gloppy snow, but it does replace my wetter expectations from a few days ago.

It appears as if we are in between weather systems for Saturday, another more spring-like day in valley areas with temperatures in the 40's though it should remain a bit closer to freezing over the high country. A widespread area of colder air will then be pushing south into the Great Lakes region by early Sunday, bringing with it, along with the colder air, an area of precipitation that should impact northern Vermont Sunday. Again, temperatures might not be cold enough to support snowfall in valley areas, but they should be over the mountains and this means more accumulating wet snow. By Monday, colder air will support more powdery snowfall, probably in the form of snow showers. 

This is probably the most favorable upstream environment we've had for sustained wintry weather in Vermont with favorable conditions both in the Pacific and in the Alaska/Yukon area. Most of the week beginning Monday the 18th through Friday, March 22n appears wintry and I think there's some storm potential for late in the week. The favorable weather pattern has to overwhelm an obscene warm weather feedback stemming from a warm Great Lakes aggregate thanks to the sustained torch impacting that region through much of last month. Another big storm late in March is thus certainly not a guarantee but the weather patterns certainly supports this possibility both late next week and beyond the 22nd when more colder late March weather appears likely.

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