Floods, Wild Weather Changes For Vermont, Rest of Northeast Today

As you drive to work this morning, you'll notice that you pretty much didn't need your jacket, that it was almost a summer-like start to this Tuesday.

As I've been writing about this week's flood potential over
the past few days, I've been running photos of the last
big spring flood in 2011, like this wash load ruined by the
Missisquoi River near Berkshire, Vemont. .After today and
tomorrow, I'll probably have fresh flood photos from April, 2014.  

I really, really hope you brought your jacket with you, though. You'll need it for your return trip home. It will get cold.

Plus, you might have already had to go around a detour or to due to flooded roads this morning.

That kind of flood avoidance is even more likely this afternoon as already high water gets even higher.

It's going to be a wild weather day.  Expect flooding rains, strong winds, temperatures that will fall unbelievably fast, and an accumulation of snow later on.

Flood watches continue for much of the interior northeast, including New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. In many spots, those flood watches have already turn to warnings, which means some flooding has already started. Rivers across New York and Vermont are already climbing over their banks due to yesterday's near record, summer like warmth and last night's showers.

It's windy out there, too. Especially in the Champlain Valley. A wind advisory is up because gusts will probably reach 50 mph later this morning and early this afternoon. A few branches and power lines could come down.

With warmth and more scattered showers this morning, then a burst of drenching rains on its way for a rendezvous with New York and western New England later this morning and afternoon, things will definitely get worse out there.

The one to two inches of rain we'll get from this strong, strong cold front coming in wouldn't normally be that big a deal, but with rivers already flooding, the flooding will get intensify, in some spots beyond the usual "Farmer John's hayfield next to the creek is under water again."

A lot of roads in New York, Vermont and New Hampshire will be blocked by flood waters by this afternoon and tonight, and the water might get high enough in some areas of the region to damage houses and businesses. At least some basements will turn into swimming pools.

So be careful out there. Especially tonight, on the roads, when it's dark and snowing and and icy and you can't see flood waters almost until you drive into them.

Yes, I said that dirty four letter word.  Snow. When the cold front comes through at midday, or this afternoon if you're more toward the east in New Hampshire, temperatures will fall as much as 20 degrees in less than an hour. Then they'll keep falling and the rain will turn to snow.

Expect a dusting to an inch tonight in the Champlain Valley, and 1 to 4 inches across much of the rest of northern New York, Vermont and parts of New Hampshire.

Leave some extra time to get to work Wednesday morning. With the snow and temperatures around 20 degrees, the roads will probably be icy. Yes, I KNOW it's mid-April and that shouldn't be happening, but this is the North Country.

Deal with it.

We're not the only ones feeling the chill. A vast section of the nation from Texas through the South and the Mid Atlantic Coast, and Ohio Valley, are under a freeze warning tonight. Gardens and crops are in over there and it's going to get below freezing tonight in that huge section of the country.

So, expect some crop losses because of that.  (Here in the North Country, plants have not budded enough to suffer any real damage from the teens and 20s expected tonight and Wednesday night_

Parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin are under a winter storm watch as that region could get up to a foot of snow tomorrow.  In International Falls, Minnesota this morning, it was 6 degrees above zero. Not the kind of April I want.

On the bright side, the Return of Winter, 2014 won't last very long.  The South will turn balmy over the next few days, and the Midwest snow will melt over the weekend.

Here in Vermont, It'll be a blustery, cold Wednesday with temperatures in many spots not rising out of the 30s with a gusty northwest wind. But at least the sun will come out in the afternoon.

After a bitingly cold Wednesday night, Thursday won't be bad with readings popping back up to near 50. And the weekend up in this neck of the woods looks seasonably mild, with temperatures in the 50s, and scattered showers. But no flooding rains.

After the extreme weather of today and Wednesday, the boring weather we're expecting this weekend is going to be a real treat.