232  
FXUS61 KBTV 180637  
AFDBTV  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT  
137 AM EST WED FEB 18 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
AS OF 136 AM EST WEDNESDAY...  
 
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE FORECAST.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
AS OF 136 AM EST WEDNESDAY...  
 
1. MOSTLY DRY AND SEASONABLE CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE  
REGION, WITH AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE BRINGING LIGHT SNOW ACROSS  
SOUTHERN VERMONT THIS EVENING.  
 
2. INCREASING CONFIDENCE ON SNOW FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY  
THAT WILL IMPACT THE FRIDAY EVENING COMMUTE WITH A 60-70 PERCENT  
CHANCE OF AT LEAST 4 INCHES ACROSS THE ADIRONDACKS OF NEW YORK EAST  
INTO VERMONT.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
AS OF 136 AM EST WEDNESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1: A MOSTLY DRY AND SEASONABLE DAY IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE  
REGION TODAY AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY STALLS TO OUR SOUTH AND AN AREA  
OF LOW PRESSURE TRACKS ALONG THIS FEATURE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE  
RATHER SEASONABLE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY, WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN  
THE UPPER 20S TO MID 30S. THE AXIS OF HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION LOOKS  
TO REMAIN TO OUR SOUTH, WITH ONLY SOME LIGHT SNOWFALL EXPECTED  
ACROSS RUTLAND AND WINDSOR COUNTIES WITH MORE SNOW EXPECTED ACROSS  
FAR SOUTHERN VERMONT. THE TIMING OF PRECIPITATION IN THESE AREAS  
WILL BE DURING THE EVENING COMMUTE, WITH SLICK TRAVEL CONDITIONS  
POSSIBLE IN ANY LOCATIONS THAT RECEIVE SNOW, BUT LUCKILY THE TREND  
OF DECREASING SNOW AMOUNTS WILL LIMIT ANY IMPACTS. AS THE PREVIOUS  
FORECAST MENTIONED, CONSENSUS CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE BULK OF THE  
PRECIPITATION REMAINING TO OUR SOUTH, WITH SOME DETERMINISTIC  
GUIDANCE SHOWING NO PRECIPITATION ACROSS SOUTHERN VERMONT AT ALL.  
PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL TAPER OFF TOMORROW NIGHT, WITH DRIER  
CONDITIONS PREVAILING AND COOLER OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES, WITH LOWS  
DROPPING BACK INTO THE TEENS. A RATHER QUIET DAY IS EXPECTED FOR  
THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2: FORECAST GUIDANCE IS COMING INTO BETTER ALIGNMENT WITH  
RESPECT TO THE START TIME OF PRECIPITATION ON FRIDAY AND THE  
EVOLUTION OF THE SYSTEM ON SATURDAY. THE OVERALL PATTERN FEATURES  
BLOCKED LOW PRESSURE STILL GOING AROUND THE GREAT LAKES REGION WITH  
A NEW SURFACE LOW DEVELOPING FROM THE SOUTH, AND EVENTUALLY TAKING  
OVER. AS IT MATURES OVER THE GREAT LAKES, A TRIPLE POINT LOW MAY TRY  
TO DEVELOP OVER LAKE ONTARIO. THIS WILL SEND A MODEST WARM FRONT  
WITH EXCELLENT UPPER DIVERGENCE AND ENHANCED DEFORMATION AS A RESULT  
OF ANOTHER UPPER LOW IN THE CANADIAN MARITIMES. ONCE THE BETTER  
UPPER FORCING DEPARTS, THE BOUNDARY WILL BEGIN TO DECAY. A COASTAL  
LOW WILL BEGIN TO PULL AWAY BETTER FORCING. A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT  
WILL LIKELY CAUSE THE WARM FRONT TO STALL OUT, AND EVEN AS THE  
DECAYING SURFACE LOW FROM THE GREAT LAKES BEGINS TO BECOME  
INCREASINGLY ELONGATED, IT SHOULD STILL SUPPLY ENOUGH LOW-LEVEL  
CONVERGENCE WITH ADEQUATE MOISTURE TO MAINTAIN LIGHT SNOW INTO  
SATURDAY.  
 
SO THIS EVENT WILL FEATURE A QUICK BURST OF MODERATE TO  
HEAVY SNOW FRIDAY AFTERNOON, WHICH WILL LIKELY IMPACT THE FRIDAY  
EVENING COMMUTE FOR PARTS OF THE AREA, AND THEN IT WILL TREND  
TOWARDS A STEADY LIGHT SNOW THROUGH SATURDAY WHEN A BACKDOOR COLD  
FRONT BEGINS TO SHIFT THE BOUNDARY AWAY FROM US. DEPENDING ON HOW  
FAR NORTH THE WARM FRONT GETS, WE MAY SEE A WARM NOSE NUDGE INTO  
PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA, AND A MIX IS POSSIBLE IN THE ST.  
LAWRENCE VALLEY AND PARTS OF THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY. ADDITIONALLY,  
SURFACE TEMPERATURES MAY BE MARGINAL FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING,  
WHICH MAY LIMIT ACCUMULATIONS WHERE TEMPERATURES ARE ABOVE FREEZING  
WITH LIGHTER SNOW. THE MOST FAVORABLE AREAS WILL BE WHERE EASTERLY  
FLOW ENHANCES UPSLOPE AND LOCKS IN COLDER AIR FOR EASTERN VERMONT  
AND EASTERN SLOPES OF THE ADIRONDACKS. PROBABILITIES OF 8" BETWEEN  
BOTH DAYS ARE ABOUT 20-40%. MESOSCALE GUIDANCE WILL BE IMPORTANT TO  
THE INTRICACIES OF THIS SYSTEM. SO STAY TUNED. TEMPERATURES WILL BE  
SEASONABLE BEYOND SATURDAY, WITH CONTINUED SNOW SHOWERS POSSIBLE.  
ALTHOUGH WITH ANOTHER STRONG COASTAL POSSIBLE SOUTH OF THE 40 N 70  
W BENCHMARK, SOME DRY AIR MAY FILTER EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY...SOME 600-900 FT AGL CEILINGS REMAIN AT KSLK  
AND KMSS, BUT MOST LOCATIONS HAVE A MIX OF EITHER 4-6SM OR 2500 FT  
AGL CEILINGS. A FRONT IS SHIFTING SOUTHEAST, AND SURFACE CONDITIONS  
ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE BEHIND THE FRONT BY ABOUT 08Z-09Z. WINDS  
WILL TREND NORTHWESTERLY BEHIND THE FRONT, AND THEN NORTHERLY. BY  
ABOUT 12-14Z, TERMINALS WILL TREND VFR WITH SURFACE WINDS INCREASING  
TO 6 TO 10 KNOTS. APPROACHING 00Z THURSDAY, SOME HIGH CLOUDS WILL  
EXPAND NORTHWARDS, AND A LINE OF SNOW WILL BE POSITIONED TO OUR  
SOUTH. AT THIS TIME, IT APPEARS THIS STRIP OF SNOW WILL REMAIN AWAY  
FROM ANY TERMINAL. THERE'S A CHANCE AT KRUT, BUT NO MENTION IS MADE  
FOR NOW WITH PROBABILITIES BEING LOW (LESS THAN 30%).  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
THURSDAY: VFR. NO SIG WX.  
THURSDAY NIGHT: VFR. NO SIG WX.  
FRIDAY: MAINLY VFR, WITH AREAS MVFR AND IFR POSSIBLE. DEFINITE  
SN, DEFINITE RA.  
FRIDAY NIGHT: MAINLY MVFR, WITH LOCAL IFR POSSIBLE. LIKELY SN.  
SATURDAY: MAINLY MVFR, WITH AREAS VFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE SN.  
SATURDAY NIGHT: MAINLY VFR, WITH LOCAL MVFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE SN.  
SUNDAY: MAINLY VFR, WITH AREAS MVFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE SN.  
 
 
   
EQUIPMENT  
 
THE KMPV ASOS HAS SUFFERED A COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE. THE ISSUE  
HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED, BUT THERE IS CURRENTLY NO ESTIMATED TIME OF  
RETURN TO SERVICE. TERMINAL AERODROME FORECASTS WILL CONTINUE,  
BUT AMENDMENTS TO THOSE FORECASTS WILL BE SUSPENDED.  
 
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.  
 
THE COLCHESTER REEF METEOROLOGICAL STATION IS OUT OF SERVICE.  
THIS SITE IS NOT SERVICED BY THE NWS AND THERE ISN'T AN  
ESTIMATED RETURN TO SERVICE AT PRESENT. PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU  
OBSERVE WINDS SIGNIFICANTLY DEVIATING FROM THE RECREATIONAL  
FORECAST.  
 
 
   
BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
VT...NONE.  
NY...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
WHAT HAS CHANGED...KREMER  
DISCUSSION...KREMER/HAYNES  
AVIATION...HAYNES  
EQUIPMENT...NWS BTV  
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