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| Despite lingering snow on the ground and falling snow, these plants in my St. Albans, Vermont perennial bed are giving it the old spring college try. |
Granted, it's not really sticking, but come on! It's April 17! And this is the fourth day in a row we've had some sort of frozen precipitation.
Plus it's incredibly soggy out there, too. In most of northern Vermont, we've had more than two inches of rain and melted snow and ice over the past six days. And it's still coming down, albeit lightly at the moment.
It's interesting that atop Mount Mansfield, snow cover has actually increased a little since the first of the month, and it will increase more this week.
On April 1, there was 80 inches of snow up there. As of yesterday, there was 88 inches. Normally, the snow cover on Mount Mansfield would be shrinking at a pretty good clip at this point.
At least yesterday's wind along the western slopes of the Green Mountains wasn't as bad as it could have been. Peak gusts reported include 72 mph in Wells, 65 mph at Breadloaf, east of Middlebury and 64 mph in Mendon. Pleasant Valley, northeast of Underhill clocked in at 59 mph.
As of mid-morning, about 1,400 homes and businesses still had no power. Not as bad or widespread as the April 4 windstorm, which is good.
Today, we'll continue on with the cold rain and wet snow, which will accumulate some in the higher elevations.
Rain and snow showers will be more scattered and lighter across Vermont Wednesday than they are today, so I guess that's a break. I suppose.
NEXT WEATHER MAKER
This week, a new storm is creating much of the same coast to coast weather misery as the last one. Just not nearly as extreme as last week, with the exception of Texas and Oklahoma and that neck of the woods. There, wildfires, already fatal and bad, will probably get even more extreme today.
Another storm, certainly weaker than the last one, is taking a somewhat similar path as the epic one the nation just had. It's coming off the lee of the Rockies in Colorado, and will trudge across the Midwest and into New England by Thursday.
Like the last storm, it's pulling extremely dry and windy air into the Southwest, where the fire danger is once again extreme today. Many of the wildfires that started out there Thursday and Friday aren't even out yet. New ones will start today, so this is awful.
Two people have already died in the fires, and there's fear today could bring more.
Next the storm goes out in the Midwest, where it collect more moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and will drop the wetness, as yes, snow in those hard hit areas out there.
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| Incredibly deep snow drifts in the Upper Penninula of Michigan this weekend. |
And it's sticking around, since this area has also had easily its coldest first half of April on record.
Green Bay, Wisconsin got two feet of snow in that last storm. Amherst, Wisconsin got 33 inches.
In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 24.9 inches of snow has fallen so far this month, making it easily the snowiest April on record. And Sioux Falls is in for two or three more inches of snow tonight and Wednesday with this latest storm.
Winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings are again flying in eastern South Dakota, northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. Parts of far northern Iowa and far southern Minnesota could get eight or more inches of snow out of this.
NEXT STORM'S EFFECTS ON VERMONT
That new snowstorm from the Plains will get here on Thursday, ensuring we get a continuation of the cold wet, dreary and snowy weather we've been seeing in Vermont for all too long in April.
Originally I was thinking there would hardly be any snow coming with Thursday's system, but of course, we must get the snow, and snow we'll get!
The early thinking from the National Weather Service in South Burlington is three to five inches in the mountains and a dusting to an inch in the valleys. Most of the valley snow would come Thursday night.
Conditions should slowly improve Friday and Saturday
GLIMMER OF HOPE?
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| Long range forecasts are hinting at possibly warmer than normal temperatures in the Northern Plains and Northern New England during the closing days of April. |
There are signs that the weather pattern is about to change somewhat, giving everybody something of a break. It'll start in the Texas and Oklahoma fire zones on Thursday, when highly welcome showers and thunderstorms are forecast.
Things will dry out and warm up in the Dakotas and Minnesota, too, so the snow will finally melt there, too.
Finally, the weather looks like it will turn drier and sunnier with temperatures much closer to normal levels starting Sunday (Highs in the 50s. )
Despite the cold and the snow, spring is chomping at the bit. Grass is starting to green up, and against all odds, some of the daffodil and hyacinth plants in my yard have grown a bit. Lilac buds were encased in ice yesterday, but they made it through like troupers.
The warmer weather next week will surely accelerate the long-awaiting spring greening we've been pining for.
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