Why Vermont Winter Fans Shouldn't Be Too Upset With Weekend Rain

It looks like some enormous snow flakes landed outside my
front door in St. Albans, Vermont overnight at the tail end
of that rainy, sleety, icy mess of a storm. 

As expected, it rained yesterday and last night in Vermont, mixing with sleet and freezing rain in many places. Even a bit of snow fell here and there.

While winter sports types are probably not happy the mixed precipitation wrecked some nice powder out there, I don't think everybody should be super upset with this.

No, snow conditions aren't ideal out there. And the snow cover is not nearly as thick as it is during some winters in the North Country.

But look at where we stand.

Unlike the mega thaw and record warmth we saw back on January 11, which erased pretty much all of the snow cover,  this time it was too cold for much snow melt.

Temperatures stayed near or under 40 degrees, so in most of the state, there is still some snow cover and it still looks like winter. There's still enough snow left in quite a few places for cross country skiing.

The rain really did hardened up and compact the snow that remains out there. If it snows again that hard packed snow will create a decent base, which will also be a little harder to melt due to its high water content.

Downhill slopes at ski resorts will be groomed out today to become acceptable for skiers and riders. Granted, this is certainly no power day, but it's, well, passable.

We are in a weather regime today through Tuesday morning in which the mountains could easily get several inches of snow.  Moist west winds and upper level disturbances are creating lift. That means lots of snow showers, especially in places where winds need to go up and over mountain ranges.

Most Vermont valleys will have only light snow showers, and it will be a little too warm today and Monday to see any real accumulation there. But with at least a few inches of new snow due along pretty much the entire Green Mountain ridge line, that'll keep things in winter mode.

Starting Monday night and continuing at least into Friday, it will turn colder in Vermont.  Not frigid, mind you, but colder. It will be plenty cold for ski resorts to make snow, but warm enough (highs in the 20s) to still get outdoors and enjoy the season.

One last thing: I"m going to dangle another potential storm before your eyes.  It's still too soon to say if a storm next weekend will actually hit, and whether it will dump some snow on the Green Mountain  State. But at least there's the possibility that it might, so it's worth watching.