Nice Snowstorm Under Way In Vermont

As expected, snow had broken out before dawn in Vermont and surrounding states and it will continue the rest of the day.

Troy Welty, in shorts, shovels snow in Wichita, Kansas
Tuesday. The storm he endured is now dumping
snow on Vermont. Photo by Mike Hutmacher/
Wichita Eagle/MCT  

The forecast amounts haven't changed since yesterday's forecast, with as little as 2 or 3 inches right near the border with Canada and as much as 15 inches or a little more in some spots in southern Vermont.

Most of Vermont, New Hampshire and eastern New York can expect 5 to 12 inches out of this one.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in South Burlington, now able to take an extremely close look at this thing now that it's underway, think the snow will come in two waves.

Unfortunately, the first wave of heavier snow will come during this morning's commute, and the second wave, if it materializes, will come along during the evening commute.

The heaviest snow this morning will probably hit the southern half of Vermont. In some places the snow could come down at a rate of an inch or two an hour, making it kind of hard for the plow trucks to keep up with it.

There could be a bit of a lull during the midday and early afternoon. It won't stop snowing, it just won't come down as hard as it did in some places this morning. This kind of lull is very common in these types of snowfalls.

The storm will start to head off the coast this evening. Often, a band of heavier snow sets up on the far northwestern flank of a storm as it gets ready to depart New England. That might happen this later this afternoon and this evening. Forecasters think if this band of heavier snow does show up, it'll be over central and maybe parts of northern Vermont.

The snow will be over and done with by midnight or so.

Aside from the slow driving out there, this is actually a very nice snowstorm for the North Country.

We're lucky. It's a somewhat powdery snow, not wet and heavy. It won't be like those awful wet snows that have the consistency of wet cement. So the powder won't be that hard to clear away, and the skiers and riders and snowshoe enthusiasts love this kind of snow.

It's not going to be that cold during this storm, with temperatures holding in the low 20s. The winds won't be too bad, holding under 20 mph.

So for me, this is the perfect storm. No, not the perfect storm we hear about in books and movies that are extreme and destructive and deadly. No, I mean perfect, as in just what the doctor ordered for New Englanders who want to get out and enjoy the winter. (Nice weather due Thursday through Saturday, too: Partly sunny, highs 18-25 each day)

Of course, other areas of the country aren't so enthusiastic about this storm, which has hit a huge area affecting 100 million people from the southern Plains to New England.

Urbanites don't handle snow well, so that's a problem. Flights are cancelled everywhere. Worst of all, the weather system has caused a huge ice storm in a band that runs from Arkansas, into the Ohio River Valley then on to Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland

Tens of thousands of people are without power and the situation is getting worse. Trees in the ice storm zone are collapsing like crazy. Not good.

There's still a lot of talk about a nasty storm around Sunday or Monday. Early indications are if the storm materializes, it won't really hit northern New England.

Of course, nobody is really sure about that yet. I wouldn't pay attention to any forecast of a late weekend storm  until about Friday. By then, meteorologists will have a better handle on whether the ingredients are there for a big storm to come together.

Until then, just enjoy this nice snowfall.