Record Low "High" Temperatures Chill The Hell Out Of Us Vermonters

Overcast skies like this over St. Albans, Vermont
Friday contributed to record low maximum
temperatures the past couple of days.  

Think it's been awfully chilly in northern New England the last few days?

You're totally right.

The nights, actually, have only been moderately colder than normal, but we've had some remarkably chilly afternoons the past couple of days.

The damp, cold weather is all the more hard to deal with because it came so abruptly. Daytime temperatures had been consistently in the 70s and 80s across the region until Friday.

Record low maximum temperatures were set both Friday and Saturday in Montpelier and St. Johnsbury, Vermont as high temperatures struggled into the low 50s under cloudy, rainy skies.

Friday, Burlington, Vermont had a record low maximum of 56 degrees. Other cities, like Massena, N.Y. set similar records.

On Saturday, the summit of Mount Washington N.H. reported sleet and freezing rain. Ugh.

When a strong cold wave moves in, as it did this week, and the skies remain cloudy, the chances of getting a "low high temperature" are the best, and that's exactly what happened.

Normal high temperatures this time of year are near 70 degrees, not the low 50s.

Skies cleared briefly Friday night, allowing a view of the Northern Lights, and allowing temperatures in the cold valleys of northern New England to slip to 32 degrees or lower.

Today, skies will slowly clear over the Northeast. It will still be chilly, but temperatures with a little sun should be able to get close to 60 degrees, or at least upper 50s in northern New England and New York, so more record low daytime temperatures don't seem likely tonight.

But clear skies tonight mean what little warmth there is can radiate out to space. Frost advisories are up for all but the Champlain Valley of Vermont, most of New Hampshire, much of northern New York and for western Maine.

Cover up those tender plants you have outside, or bring them indoors this evening.

For those who like fall weather, it will stay cooler than normal the rest of the week across the Northeastern United States.