Yes, It's Going To Snow In Vermont Again Tomorrow Night, Oh Joy

A lovely spring evening in my St. Albans, Vermont
garden Friday evening. Unfortunately, these flowers are'
are going to get snowed on Sunday night.  

UPDATE: As of Sunday morning, the forecast hasn't changed at all.

It's chilly and dark out there now, and there will be a lot of mostly light rain showers around today.

Mostly north and mountains.

Snow levels will fall late today and I'm still expecting a dusting or more of snow in much of northern Vermont, especially at elevations above 1,000 feet.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION

It realy seemed like spring had truly arrived.

Temperatures soared to 80 degrees Thursday, and mild rains hit Vermont Friday. Trees leafed out, flowers bloomed.

Friday evening's damp air had that sweet, wonderful organic aroma that only comes when the forests and gardens have emphatically come back to life.

There was a gorgeous clear blue spring sunrise this Saturday morning, too.

Which of course means it's going to snow again. This being Vermont and all.

This spring has been characterized by dramatic and frustrating setbacks and here we go again. Another blast from Canada is coming down.

This morning, you can see it on the weather maps, with frost and freeze warnings across the entire upper Midwest, stretching from Wyoming, through the Dakotas, Minnesota, all the way to Michigan.

For us here in New England, a cold pool of wet, frigid air is going to stall over us Sunday and Monday. That means snow, even in the valleys.

Today will be a transition day. We started off sunny, but clouds will build during the afternoon. It'll still be springtime mild, with temperatures a few degrees either side of 70.

Showers and maybe a rumble of thunder will move in later in the day, marking the transition back to winter.

Sunday will be raw and showery, especially in the northern half of the state and in the higher elevations.

At first, any snow will be confined to the highest peaks, but as the cold settles in, snow levels will gradually fall.

Sunday night, several inches will probably fall above 2,500 feet in elevation. The National Weather Service is going for four or five inches at summit level, but I wouldn't be surprised if the top of places like Mount Mansfield and Jay Peak end up with close to a foot by Monday night.

I also wouldn't be surprised if many northern and central Vermont towns that are a little up in elevation get a dusting to three inches.

Snowflakes will probably come down at times Sunday night, even on the floor of the Champlain Valley.

The only solace I can give you is this won't be the biggest May snowfall on record. WPTZ's John Hickey noted this morning that on May 14, 1834, there was a two-foot deep snowfall on the high ground near Newbury, Vermont and three feet near Haverhill, New Hampshire.

Monday will remain cold and raw and showery and occasionally snowy in the higher elevations. Afternoon readings will mostly stay in the upper 40s, compared to the mid and upper 60s that we should be getting this time of year.

I think in most spots, it'll remain "warm" enough at night so that most if not all perennial flowers and such that have come up and bloomed should be fine during this cold spell.

Bring in the cold sensitive plants by this evening, though, and leave them indoors until later in the week.

Things will slowly start getting better Tuesday with temperatures climbing day by day, but still running well below normal until at least Thursday.

By Friday, we will have totally broken free of the spring chill.

At least for now.