Winter In October To Last Awhile

Many Vermont webcam images this morning showed snow on the ground,
including here, with an image from Lincoln Peak at the
Sugarbush Ski Resort in Warren.

While working in a client's garden in Charlotte, Vermont yesterday, I saw and felt our plunge into an early winter like state.

I started a little after noon when the skies cleared and a warm sun popped out. I started working in a t-shirt.

Then, I worked through the afternoon adding layers of shirts as the temperature dropped. I finally gave up and went home in the late afternoon when it started to sleet.

A little sleet fell on Burlington, Vermont yesterday, too, making October 17 the first day of the winter season with frozen precipitation. It was just a trace. Nothing accumulated. But it's coming.

Vermont and most of the Northeast are in this spell of cold for awhile. Yes, we will get a nice squirt of mild air Friday afternoon into Saturday morning between cold fronts, but that's it for awhile. A relentless, quick series of cold fronts will come through Saturday through the first half of next week, keeping our temperatures well below normal.

I can certainly say the growing season is over. The immediate shore of Lake Champlain has stayed above freezing so far, but that's it. Otherwise, we're pretty much done gardening until spring.

If you like snow, you'll like this weather pattern. This morning, many areas of Vermont had at least a dusting of snow on the ground. We even heard a few reports of locally slick roads.

Coming up. there will be little or no accumulation in the valleys through this period, but snow flurries will reach valley floors from time to time. Especially Sunday. A light snow pack will continue to build in the mountains. Also, some of the more aggressive ski areas are making snow.

Killington Ski Resort always tries to be the first to open in the season. Usually that hits in October. True to form, Killington announced they are open for business for the season starting tomorrow, October 19.

Killington and other resorts will be able to make a lot of snow over the next few days, which might insulate them from any late season Indian Summers come November. We'll see on that one.

The cold fronts coming through will only throw light precipitation our way. There are hints of a somewhat more decent storm around October 26 or 27. Just for laughs and giggles, one computer model suggested that storm would dump a good foot or more of snow across most of Vermont.

Don't worry. That computer model looked like it was totally out of whack. My first guess - and at this point it's only a guess - that we'll get a middling rain storm around that time period, with maybe a little snow in the mountains. It's really too soon for snow shovels and snow days at school.