Neverending Summer in Vermont Of All Places

Thunderstorms that developed amid near record
90 degree heat and humidity in Vermont on Sept. 9
dropped a little rain, but much more is needed.
Here, storm clouds briefly gather in Colchester, Vermont.  

It's going to rain pretty hard and turn coolish in Vermont Sunday and Monday as a soggy early autumn rainstorm reaches the state.

This is actually cause for celebration, as Vermont has been in the throes of a never-ending summer. And it's turned awfully dry as a result.

Vermont summers are notoriously short, but not this year.

May was the hottest on record in Burlington, Vermont, so we had an extra month of summer there when we usually have cool spring weather.

June and July were pretty close to normal temperature-wise in Vermont, but that time of year is summer, so it was somewhat warm enough for swimming and that type of thing.

August was Burlington's third hottest on record. Then came early September, which so far is running a blistering 9.5 degrees above normal. We've had three days in the 90s in September. That's extremely rare but not unheard of.

The heat in August and September has been accompanied by dry weather. We've only had about a half inch of rain since the third week in August. We should have had close three inches in that time period.

So it's a welcome development that one to two inches of rain is forecast by Monday evening. Temperatures might not get above 70 degrees Sunday and Monday afternoons for the first time since June 28.

Upper 60s for highs are pretty much normal for this time of year in Vermont, so you see how warm it's been.

Still, Vermont's never ending summer shows signs of reasserting itself next week. Highs are forecast to reach the 80s again at midweek, which is more typical of July. More record highs could fall.

For those worried about the fall foliage with this summer weather, it's not time to panic yet. Some trees are starting to turn, despite the warmth. And sometimes, dry, sunny summer weather in August and early September can encourage more than the usual brilliant reds in the autumn.

So we shall see.

Of course, Vermont is at least as well known for its long winters as it is for its short summers. I'm sure another long, long winter is at our doorstep here in the Green Mountain State.