Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Burlington, VT
Issued by NWS Burlington, VT
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530 FXUS61 KBTV 221744 AFDBTV Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Burlington VT 1244 PM EST Sat Nov 22 2025 .SYNOPSIS... After a brief break in the precipitation this evening and overnight, light snow will spread from west to east on Sunday. Minor accumulations are expected, generally 2 inches or less through Monday morning. Unsettled weather, mainly in the form of light rain, will resume late Tuesday with chances of precipitation continuing through Thanksgiving. While Wednesday will be relatively mild, a frontal passage will bring colder conditions from Thanksgiving through the weekend. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... As of 1244 PM EST Saturday...Plentiful cloud cover across much of the region this afternoon as an upper shortwave and cold air advection result in steep lapse rates. There`s enough moisture that isolated light snow showers have been noted in locations such as Morrisville and Newport. Clouds and showers will wane after sunset as we lose daytime heating, though don`t anticipate full clearing over the higher terrain. This will impact tonight`s temperatures, as cloudier conditions will limit potential radiational cooling. Have gone closer to warmer guidance for overnight lows tonight as mid clouds are expected to spread overhead even as the lower clouds dissipate. Upper teens to upper 20s seem reasonable at this point, but subsequent shifts will need to watch cloud and temperature trends as we head into the overnight hours. Widespread light precipitation is expected on Sunday as a weak clipper low pressure system skirts along or just north of the international border. It will likely take a bit for the atmosphere to saturate given the dry air that`s in place, so precipitation may fall as virga at the onset. Once it does reach the ground, expect most areas will be cold enough for light snow, though the St Lawrence Valley and the Champlain Valley could mix with and/or change over to rain for a bit in the afternoon as temperatures warm into the mid/upper 30s. The low moves to our east Sunday night, transitioning widespread light stratiform precipitation to upslope snow showers as winds turn to the west/northwest. These will continue much of the overnight, then slowly start to wane through early Monday morning. Total accumulations will be relatively light, mainly 2 inches or less, with the highest accumulations above 1500 ft. The summits could pick up 3 to 5 inches during this time frame. Lows will be in the mid 20s to mid 30s. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... As of 1244 PM EST Saturday...Upslope snow showers will continue Monday morning on the western sides of the Adirondacks and Greens, but expect these will wind down by afternoon as moisture rapidly decreases. Sunshine should return by late in the day, especially in the wider valleys. Temperatures will top out a little below normal, peaking in the mid 30s to mid 40s. Clouds will increase again late Monday night ahead of our next system, though precipitation will hold off until after daybreak Tuesday. Lows will be in the 20s to around 30F. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 1230 PM EST Saturday...During the first half of next week, a mid- to upper level shortwave is expected to approach northern New York and Vermont from the southwest, riding warm air advection and return flow high pressure in the Atlantic. This should make for a seasonably mild but cloudy and murky Tuesday with highs in the 40s for most and southerly gusts 10-15 knots. Chances of precipitation increase throughout the day from west to east Tuesday due to a warm frontal passage. Precip should be largely in the form of rain outside of the highest peaks due to the mild conditions. Some of the highest elevations may pick up a half an inch of snow Tuesday afternoon, but this should be very isolated and subject to melt heading into an even milder midweek. Precipitation is anticipated to be most widespread on Tuesday night, and conditions are forecast to remain mild, cloudy, and dreary through Wednesday before a cold front swings across the area sometime Wednesday night/early Thanksgiving morning. Temperatures will fail to fall below the 30s on Tuesday night under continued thick cloud cover, rebounding quickly on Wednesday into the mid 40s to mid 50s. If we reach 50F at the Burlington Airport on Wednesday, it will be the first 50 degree day since November 8th. Thanks to continued mild conditions Tuesday night-Wednesday, precipitation should continue to be in the form of rain with minimal snow possible, even at the highest elevations of the forecast area. Temperatures look to eventually cool Wednesday night, but lows still above seasonal normals on Thanksgiving morning in the mid 20s to mid 30s, leading to snow levels falling throughout the night and potential for some snow showers even into the wider valleys as a cold or occluded front associated with vertically stacked low north of the Great Lakes lifts northeastward away from the forecast area. Flow will also strengthen out of the west and southwest on Thanksgiving, likely leading to some lake effect precipitation across northern New York and potentially beyond with gusts 20-30 knots possible across the forecast area. All this said, we`re forecasting a seasonable Thanksgiving with highs in the mid 30s to mid 40s and the potential for rain and snow, especially across terrain. Probability of measurable precipitation on Thursday will greatly depend on your location and elevation. Those at higher elevations of the Adirondacks and northern Greens as well as those located across the St. Lawrence Valley have a 40-70% chance of precipitation, while the wider valleys, especially in southern/central Vermont and the Connecticut River Valley have a 10- 40% chance. Cold pool aloft supports additional snow showers towards the end of the week especially across the northern Adirondacks and the Green Mtns, as temperatures trend cooler. Significant travel concerns aren`t currently anticipated, but timing uncertainty of any snow showers (and possible light snow accumulations) following the frontal boundary will need to be monitored. We continue to ask that you please follow the latest forecasts, especially if you have any travel plans. && .AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Through 18Z Sunday...Ceilings 1500-3000 feet above ground level are lingering across northern New York and the Champlain Valley this afternoon under relatively blocked northwesterly flow, but cigs are expected to lift to 3500+ feet as we head towards the evening hours and become progressively unblocked. A few odd snow showers are out there this afternoon, but these should be few and far between with weak high pressure nosing into the region from the Ohio Valley. Winds this afternoon have been somewhat breezy thus far out of the west/northwest with gusts 15 to 25 knots. By 00Z Sunday, we anticipate mostly VFR conditions and decreased winds across all sites through around 13Z-16Z. Some lingering MVFR level ceilings remain possible at places like SLK and EFK across the terrain through the 24 hour TAF period, but it`s hard to say how widespread clouds and cloud cover will be in these locations. Could be bouncing between BKN035 to SCT025, then BKN025 to SCT035. Winds will be turning from northwesterly to southerly throughout the night and into tomorrow morning but should largely remain under 10 knots. Light snow and rain will spread across the region Sunday afternoon from west to east, with minor accumulations from a coating to 2 inches by Monday morning. We`ll see the beginning of this snow`s arrival in the 12Z-18Z Sunday TAF period in the form of lowering ceilings and visibilities at northern New York sites. Outlook... Sunday Night: Mainly IFR, with areas MVFR possible. Chance SHSN, Chance SHRA. Monday: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. Slight chance SHSN. Monday Night: VFR. NO SIG WX. Tuesday: VFR. Chance RA. Tuesday Night: MVFR/IFR conditions possible. Likely RA. Wednesday: Mainly IFR, with areas MVFR possible. Chance RA. Wednesday Night: Mainly MVFR, with areas IFR possible. Chance RA. Thanksgiving Day: Mainly VFR, with local MVFR possible. Chance RA, Chance SN. && .EQUIPMENT... NOAA Weather Radio station WXM-44, transmitting from Mt. Ascutney, Vermont, on frequency 162.475 MHz is non-operational at this time. NWS technicians have diagnosed the problem, but repairs will likely not be able to occur for quite some time due to circumstances beyond our control. Therefore, the time of return to service is currently unknown. The following NOAA Weather Radio transmitters may be able to provide service during this outage: WWG 50 from Burke Mtn, VT at 162.425 MHz and WNG 546 from Hanover, NH at 162.525 MHz. && .BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...None. NY...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Hastings NEAR TERM...Hastings SHORT TERM...Hastings LONG TERM...Storm AVIATION...Storm EQUIPMENT...Team BTV