Always Trying To Find Out Who's Got It Worse

A snow drift in New Brunswick, Canada last week. Via
Ashley Ricard, Facebook

When I'm discouraged by weather I don't like, I perversely find places where conditions are even worse, just to console myself.

One place I found was Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada. As you know, I've been whining about the deep mid-March snowcover from the recent nor'easters and the current January-like chill.

New Brunswick has also been dealing with the same nor'easters, and the snow drifts are worse, much worse than around here.

A woman named Ashley Ricard has been posting photos of her snow-buried neighborhood, and houses are nearly buried. A couple of her photos are in this post.

A New Brunswick, Canada house buried in snow. Via
Gail Harding/CBC

Like us here in Vermont, it's cold in New Brunswick, so most of the snow won't go anytime soon.

There have been reports of a couple buildings collapsing under the weight of the snow, and travel is still difficult in some spots in southeastern Canada because of the snow.

Speaking of nor'easters, we're still watching one for mid to late week. Current forecasts are still insisting the next one will have little or no impact on Vermont, but I'm still not counting it out.

The beginnings of this next storm swept across Texas Sunday, causing a couple of tornadoes, strong winds and numerous reports of giant hail, some the size of baseballs. (Once you start getting into March, storm systems are increasingly likely to bring severe weather to parts of the nation.)

Today, the storm will bring severe weather to parts of the south, particularly Alabama and Tennesee, where damaging tornadoes are possible. 

The storm is still expected to head off the North Carolina coast. Some computer models continue to nudge the projected path of this next nor'easter a little closer to the coast. But it still - at this point at least - looks like it will pass relatively far off the New England coast Wednesday and Thursday.

Southeastern New England still looks like it will get a little snow and wind from this. It looks like the New York City area, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, including the Washington DC area, look to be in play for some snow out of this as well.

I expect it will throw some clouds back over Vermont. If the projected path holds, the Green Mountain State will get little if any snow out of this. If the storm track ends up being another 100 miles to the northwest than current projections, then it's -- ugh.

Meanwhile, it remains frigid. Widespread below zero temperatures were reported across the North Country this morning, though readings were a few degrees warmer than Sunday morning.

Still, I also always like to look for signs of hope during weather I don't like. The March sun angle is high, and temperature, while remaining well below normal, will gradually creep up a bit each day through Wednesday.

I noticed yesterday when I was in Rutland, Vermont, where the snow cover is thinner than it is up here in St. Albans, the sun was able to open up a few bare patches on steep south and west facing slopes. Not a pretty look, but a sign that the snow will want to try to melt. Some day, at least.