Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Burlington, VT

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430 FXUS61 KBTV 151107 AFDBTV Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Burlington VT 707 AM EDT Tue Jul 15 2025 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure will bring ample sunshine today, though wildfire smoke will likely keep conditions hazy. Temperatures will climb in the coming days, with afternoon highs generally in the upper 80s to lower 90s. Wednesday should be the hottest day, with valley locations reaching the mid 90s. An approaching frontal system from the Great Lakes will bring the next chance for showers and thunderstorms across the region Wednesday night into Thursday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... As of 158 AM EDT Tuesday...The main concerns for the near term will be reduced air quality from wildfire smoke, followed by building heat and humidity. High pressure will continue to settle over the area today, leading to light north to northwest flow. This has already allowed wildfire smoke from Canada to spread south across the international border early this morning, particularly in northern NY and into far northern VT, where visibilities are 4-8SM and air quality is reduced. This smoke will continue to spread southward through the day today, eventually reaching into central/south central VT. The smoke may thicken up through daybreak under an inversion, but it should thin out a little as we see daytime mixing. Still, anticipate hazy conditions through much of the day. Both the state of NY and state of VT have issued Air Quality Alerts due to fine particulates, which should remain in effect until midnight tonight. Otherwise, the concern is the expected warming trend. 925mb temperatures will approach 25C this afternoon, and other than the smoke, expect ample sunshine today. Highs will warm into the mid 80s to around 90F, warmest in the wider valleys. Dewpoints will mainly be in the lower to mid 60s, which should just keep heat index values below the 95F threshold for a heat advisory. Still, anyone outdoors should take heat precautions, especially if they`re in one of the sensitive groups. There won`t be much relief from the heat tonight as we`ll stay muggy and mild. Lows will be in the 60s to around 70F. The heat only increases on Wednesday with 925mb warming to 25-27C, with afternoon highs in the upper 80s to mid 90s. Many of our climate sites will be close to daily record highs; see the Climate section below. Dewpoints will once again rise into the low to mid 60s, though efficient daytime mixing may keep them a few degrees lower than might otherwise be expected. Still, heat index values will rise into dangerous levels, especially in the wider valleys where 95-100F values are likely; it should be 90-95F elsewhere. An upper shortwave trough and associated frontal system will approach from the west Wednesday afternoon, but the main effect from this will be just increasing clouds later in the day. Can`t totally rule out a thunderstorm or two edging into the St Lawrence Valley or perhaps popping up over the higher terrain, but warm mid-level temperatures makes any convection unlikely. If anything does develop, it would be late in the afternoon and isolated in nature. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 158 AM EDT Tuesday...A prefrontal trough looks to move through Wednesday night and Thursday morning, bringing a round of showers and embedded thunderstorms. Conditions will be very favorable for heavy rainfall, with PWATs around 1.75 inches and very large warm cloud depths. While storm motion may be on the slower side, it looks to be just fast enough to prevent much of a flash flood risk, though the threat still needs to be watched. With the prefrontal trough looking to come through earlier in the day, the severe threat should be limited, though a few strong to severe storms still cannot be ruled out. Thursday has the potential to be the third day of 90 degree temperatures for Burlington and therefore may make the first heat wave. Confidence is relatively high on both Tuesday and Wednesday reaching 90 but Thursday is much more in question. The NBM forecast high is 90 degrees and its probability of 90 or higher is about 70 percent, but it is still very much conditional. Clouds and showers look to linger for much of the morning before the prefrontal trough exits, and how long these stick around will be key. If clearing happens early enough, it will not take much to reach 90 given the warm airmass but the amount of sun is uncertain at this time. Dew points will climb significantly for Thursday, reaching the upper 60s to mid 70s. With a saturated profile, advection and rain Wednesday night, there is pretty high confidence of these high dew points. The heat and humidity will cause conditions to approach Heat Advisory Criteria in the broad valleys, and lows Wednesday night will be too high to provide much relief. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 158 AM EDT Tuesday...The cold front finally looks to move through Thursday night and Friday morning. While it will bring the chance for a few showers and thunderstorms, due to its mostly nocturnal passage, they look unimpressive. This front will be strong enough to cause a significant airmass change, with dew points dropping into the 50s for Friday. Highs should be in the 70s in most places and lows should be in the 50s in most places Friday night, and temperatures may even fall into the 40s in the coldest locations. Dry weather will continue through Saturday before shower chances return for Sunday. The heat and humidity look to remain mostly to the south for the start of next week with temperatures looking seasonable. && .AVIATION /11Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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Through 12Z Wednesday...Main impacts during this TAF period will be dense valley fog through 14z Tue, along with widespread haze through much of the day today. IFR conditions will persist at KSLK/KEFK/KMPV through 14z, though a gradual improving trend is expected during that time. Otherwise, expect a mix of VFR/MVFR with visibility reduced to 5-6SM at times due to wildfire smoke/haze. Some guidance indicates the potential for more valley fog late tonight, but certainty is not enough to include in the TAFs at this time. Skies to remain FEW AOA 5000 ft outside of any fog. Winds light and variable through the period, mainly terrain- driven. Outlook... Wednesday: VFR. Slight chance SHRA, Slight chance TSRA. Wednesday Night: VFR. Chance SHRA, Chance TSRA. Thursday: Mainly VFR, with local MVFR possible. Likely SHRA, Chance TSRA. Thursday Night: MVFR. Chance SHRA, Slight chance TSRA. Friday: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. Slight chance SHRA. Friday Night: VFR. NO SIG WX. Saturday: VFR. NO SIG WX.
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&& .CLIMATE... The current forecast highs for Tuesday and especially Wednesday will be within a few degrees of daily record highs, which are listed below. July 15: KBTV: 93/2013 July 16: KBTV: 96/2018 KMPV: 92/1969 KPBG: 95/1969 KMSS: 94/2018 KSLK: 90/1997 && .BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...None. NY...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Hastings NEAR TERM...Hastings SHORT TERM...Myskowski LONG TERM...Myskowski AVIATION...Hastings CLIMATE...WFO BTV