Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Burlington, VT
Issued by NWS Burlington, VT
Versions:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
229
FXUS61 KBTV 101935
AFDBTV
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Burlington VT
235 PM EST Mon Nov 10 2025
.SYNOPSIS...
A short period of heavy snow through this evening will spread
northeastward across portions of the region. More wintry
weather will prevail through much of the week areawide,
including snow showers at times Tuesday through Thursday.
Conditions will trend dry thereafter as temperatures remain on
the colder side of normal.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...
As of 235 PM EST Monday...
* A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Franklin, Chittenden,
Orleans, and Lamoille counties in Vermont from 3PM today to 7AM
Tuesday. This area has the highest probability of heavy snowfall
rates in excess of 1 inch per hour this evening, leading to total
snowfall amounts between 2 and 6 inches.
A pronounced west to east temperature difference both at the surface
and aloft is present across our region. This gradient will set the
stage for a quick hitting winter storm tonight as precipitation
streams northward along a band of increasing 850 millibar
frontogenesis. As colder air makes progress eastward this evening,
precipitation will change from rain to snow while surface low
pressure intensifies, moving along up the New England coast. The
latest NBM unconditional weather type data suggests the rain/snow
line will initially be near the New York/Vermont border this
afternoon and rapidly shift eastward into the eastern Champlain
Valley between about 4 and 5 PM while a wintry mix occurs near the
western slopes of the Greens. During the following hour, the
changeover from rain will make its way into eastern Vermont with all
snow expected in much of the northern Champlain Valley. Therefore, a
treacherous evening commute is expected, even if the timing varies
slightly from this idea.
Will note that there is larger uncertainty in snowfall amounts
around the edges of the Winter Weather Advisory where a burst of
heavy snow will likely occur, as well, but with shorter duration and
less total snowfall forecast. The latest HRRR runs have been
trending more aggressive at the coverage of heavy snowfall rates,
likely in response to radar trends with precipitation filling into
southwestern Vermont early this afternoon. With regards to other
portions of the Champlain Valley, such as in Addison County and
eastern Essex County, New York, given that temperatures are starting
out a few degrees higher than northern areas and precipitation will
exit sooner, it will be down to precipitation rates to lead to a
quicker changeover to snow and higher amounts than forecast. In
northeastern Vermont where temperatures are well into the 40s this
afternoon, the precipitation rate will be even more important to
realize substantial snowfall accumulations as there will be a longer
period of rain before the changeover.
Finally, unfortunately complicating the forecast is a lingering
tongue of above freezing air aloft as temperatures cool tonight.
There is strong model support for a wintry mix including pockets of
sleet and freezing rain in a quick transition zone between rain and
snow, which will affect most areas from the western slopes of the
Greens into northeastern Vermont this evening. Think most of this
will last no longer than an hour at any given location, and because
it will be falling as surface temperatures/roads are largely well
above freezing we do not expect significant impacts.
Moving past the steady precipitation, we`ll see a lull tonight aside
from localized snowfall in excellent westerly upslope snow
conditions. By morning, while 925 to 850 millibar flow remains
westerly, a more southerly component to the near-surface winds will
help transport additional moisture from the Great Lakes. It appears
as the strong shortwave currently near Lake Erie ambles eastward and
passes our region, a boost of convergent flow will occur and
numerous snow showers will cross the area following more scattered
morning activity. PoPs greatly increase during the afternoon from
the Adirondacks eastward through time with widespread light
accumulations expected. Current estimates are from about a 0.5" to
1" in most locations. As inversion heights rise in the afternoon
with critical Froude numbers, heavier snow will become common across
all of the higher terrain in the Green Mountains, where snowfall
totals during the day look to be in the 3 to 6 inch range.
Tomorrow continues to look like by far the coldest day this fall so
far, with high temperatures within a few degrees of freezing in most
locations. Precipitation type will be all snow during this
timeframe. Snow showers will tend to diminish tomorrow night with
some mid-level ridging developing, but then a potent lake-effect
band off Lake Ontario is likely to affect much of St. Lawrence and
Franklin counties in New York, and possibly the southern/central
Greens. It looks transient enough to limit accumulations, but brief
heavy snow will need to be considered as we fine-tune the forecast
in future updates. Tomorrow afternoon and evening we continue to
edge winds/gusts up a bit, with gusts locally 30-35 MPH
especially in the eastern Adirondacks, as a moderately strong
850 millibar jet follows the backside of the trough.
&&
.SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/...
As of 235 PM EST Monday...This period looks quite unsettled as
another trough approaches from the west with plentiful moisture,
supporting a well-saturated snow growth zone and more snow
showers across the region. That being said, with southerly low
level flow ahead of the associated surface trough, enough
warming will make for a boundary layer issue on precipitation
type. As such, we expect a valley rain situation, or at least a
mix of rain and snow, as temperature rise into the mid and upper
30s during the morning and even peak above 40 at the lowest
elevations. Most of the precipitation also will be rather light
until the trough passes through, then similar to Tuesday we`ll
have terrain-enhanced precipitation rates late in the day.
Thermal profiles near the surface will remain tricky with
temperatures so marginal for rain versus snow in the valleys,
but potential for impacts for the evening commute will exist,
with higher confidence across northern New York at this time.
&&
.LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
As of 130 AM EST Monday...Northwesterly mid-upper level flow is
expected to prevail from the Northern Great Lakes region into NY and
northern New England through the extended forecast period, bringing
temperatures near to slightly below seasonal levels for mid-
November. An embedded shortwave trough and favorable upper jet
dynamics bring the best chances for precipitation Wednesday night
into early Thursday. While not significant in terms of QPF, it does
appear that there is potential for light snow accumulations,
especially at elevations above 500 ft or so. Could see snowfall 2-4"
across the higher summits, especially in favorable upslope areas of
the central/nrn Green Mountains and northern Adirondacks. Would
anticipate a slushy coating to 0.5" in the immediate Champlain
Valley Wed night where surface temperatures will hover near to
slightly above freezing. Lows Wednesday night generally in the lower
30s, except upper 20s above 1000ft, with highs Thursday in the upper
30s to lower 40s.
Thereafter, no significant weather is expected through the end of
the week and into next weekend. A few light rain/mountain snow
showers remain possible and have indicated slight chance to chance
(20-40%) PoPs at times to account for possible upslope/orographic
precipitation in continued NW flow. Daily Highs Fri-Sun generally in
the mid-upper 30s, except lower 40s in the upper CT River Valley.
&&
.AVIATION /19Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
Through 18Z Tuesday...Conditions have taken a more pessimistic
outlook given ongoing IFR CIGs mainly with intermixed MVFR/IFR
VIS in light rain and mist. Additionally, chances for snow have
increased for the Champlain Valley and portions of Vermont
which are reflected in tempo 1/2SM SN FG for BTV/PBG/MPV/EFK
with potential for 1-3 inches primarily with up to 4 inches of
snow accumulation possible. Opted to follow more towards MOS
guidance keeping CIGs lower under westerly blocked flow through
12Z. BTV could see additional IFR snow showers 06-12Z depending
on how much lake enhanced precipitation occurs. Categorical
improvement is likely after 12Z as winds increase aiding in
lifting CIGs while precipitation chances diminish. Still,
looking at slow improvement for some terminals to MVFR/VFR.
Outlook...
Tuesday Night: Mainly VFR, with local MVFR possible. Chance SHSN.
Wednesday: Mainly MVFR and IFR, with areas VFR possible. Definite
SHRA, Likely SHSN.
Wednesday Night: Mainly MVFR, with areas IFR possible. Definite
SHRA, Definite SHSN.
Thursday: Mainly MVFR and IFR, with local VFR possible. Likely
RA, Likely SN.
Thursday Night: MVFR/IFR conditions possible. Chance SN.
Friday: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. Chance SN.
Friday Night: MVFR/IFR conditions possible. NO SIG WX.
Saturday: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. NO SIG WX.
&&
.BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
VT...Winter Weather Advisory until 7 AM EST Tuesday for VTZ002-003-
005-006-016-017.
NY...None.
&&
$$
SYNOPSIS...Kutikoff
NEAR TERM...Kutikoff
SHORT TERM...Kutikoff
LONG TERM...Banacos
AVIATION...Boyd