Very Windy, Icy Storm Poised To Hit Vermont; Will Be Much Worse Elsewhere In Nation

An extremey colorful National Weather Service map today means
there are lots and lots of weather hazards going on around
the United States today. 

It's going to be a nice, calm, pleasant enough Saturday here in Vermont, with peeks of sun and mild afternoon temperatures in the 30s.

Don't get used to it. As the National Weather Service in South Burlington says in their Saturday morning forecast discussion: "Better enjoy today because tomorrow is going to get ugly."

Ugly, yes, unless you enjoy mixed precipitation, a cold rain, and especially strong gusty winds. If you love all of those weather hazards, Sunday will be your day.

At least it isn't as bad as much of the rest of the nation. Today and tomorrow will feature blizzards, tornadoes, severe flooding and winds even stronger than we'll get there. I'll talk more about local impacts here in Vermont, first, then get into the mess elsewhere in the nation:

VERMONT AREA EFFECTS

Late tonight, snow, sleet and freezing rain will break out across the area as the storm's warm front moves into the region. Yeah, we've been through this drill plenty of times this winter. Precipitation won't be particularly heavy, but it will be enough to ice up the roads across Vermont late tonight and Sunday morning.

That's why there's a winter weather advisory for all of us, ending at 9 a.m. in the Champlain Valley and noon further east in the state. By afternoon, things will have transitioned to a cold rain.

The real story for us with this storm is strong winds. I'm sure there will be problems with downed trees and power lines. Initially, on Sunday, there will be a period of wind gusts up to 50 mph along the western slopes of the Green Mountains and up to 45 mph in the Champlain Valley.

Sunday evening, the powerful storm's cold front will come through, and behind that is where the winds really ramp up.

There is a high wind watch for the Adirondacks of New York Sunday afternoon into Monday. A high wind watch in southern Vermont starts Sunday night and goes into Monday.  I expect these watches to be upgraded to warnings later.

I'm pretty sure the National Weather Service in South Burlington will issue a wind advisory, if not a high wind watch or warning, for the rest of Vermont Sunday night and Monday.

Areas under the high wind watches could see gusts to 60 mph Sunday night and Monday. Elsewhere in Vermont, gusts will go to 50 mph or higher. Sunday and Monday won't be be the right time to wear your new hat or show off your new hairdo outdoors.

Rain will change to snow showers Sunday night and continue on Monday, especially in mountains. Monday will be a harsh day, with those strong, possibly damaging winds, falling temperatures, along with some snow and blowing snow.

It'll turn very cold for late February by Tuesday, with highs barely in the teens and lows around 0. Some moderation will come later in the week, but it will be chillier than normal. It's not spring yet!

TROUBLE ACROSS U.S.

Especially in areas shaded in red and orange, there is a risk of
tornadoes today. A few of the tornadoes could be strong
and long lasting. 

Most of the United States is feeling effects of this very large storm, but if I had to pick a place that's having the worst time with this, I'd say northern Mississippi.

Days of torrential rain there and in nearby Tennessee and Alabama have caused a lot of flooding, and the torrential rain continues today.

An example, it sure is wet in Tupelo, honey. In the four days ending at midnight last night, the northern Mississippi city had collected 10.73 inches of rain. Another inch or so fell in the four hours after midnight, and more heavy rain will come down today.

Some rivers in this region are or will experience record flooding from these massive downpours.

Even worse, there is going to be an outbreak of severe weather today. The best chance of tornadoes, some of them possibly long lasting and strong, is in,  yes, northern Mississippi.  

This tornado threat also includes much of Tennessee, eastern Arkansas and northern Alabama

I'm impressed by the wide area of high winds this strong storm will cover. A wide path from Texas to New England is under high wind watches and warnings, or wind advisories.

While wind damage will occur in all these areas, it still looks like the epicenter will be in the eastern Great Lakes. The Buffalo, New York area is still expecting gusts Sunday of up to 75 mph. Worse, a huge amount of already fragmented ice on Lake Erie will be shoved onshore in and near Buffalo, which would cause a lot of damage. I guess this is yet another reason to dislike Buffalo in the winter.

Finally, a wide area in the central part of the country is under a blizzard warning.  You get that when it snows, and winds gust to 55 mph. This storm will be especially bad further north in Iowa and Minnesota. There's already a lot of snow on the ground from previous storms, and these strong winds will pick up and blow that around. I imagine there will be some pretty gigantic snow drifts.

Overall, I'd rate this storm the worst of the winter for the nation as a whole.