168  
FXUS61 KBTV 202033  
AFDBTV  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT  
333 PM EST FRI DEC 20 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
WIDESPREAD LIGHT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING  
AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PASSES WELL SOUTH OF OUR REGION. SNOW  
WILL BECOME SHOWERY DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY AND  
OROGRAPHICALLY ENHANCED BEFORE COMING TO AN END OVERNIGHT. A  
LARGE RIDGE OF SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN SETTLE OVER THE  
AREA AND TEMPERATURES TURN COLDER HEADED INTO THE BEGINNING OF  
NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 332 PM EST FRIDAY...LIGHT SNOW HAS BEGUN ACROSS OUR AREA,  
AND SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS HAVE BEEN NOTED. TEMPERATURES ARE  
RANGING THROUGH THE 20S. LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE  
OVERNIGHT HOURS, THEN BECOME MORE SHOWERY ON SATURDAY AS LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM PULLS EASTWARD OFF THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND. QPF  
AND SNOWFALL WILL BE LIGHT, DUE TO LACK OF FORCING. GENERALLY A  
QUARTER OF AN INCH OR LESS OF QPF WILL YIELD AROUND ONE TO FOUR  
INCHES OF SNOWFALL. HIGHEST SNOW TOTALS WILL BE ALONG THE SPINE  
OF THE GREENS WITH UPSLOPE SNOW SHOWERS ADDING TO THE TOTALS  
THERE SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT. SNOW WILL BE VERY FLUFFY  
WITH RATIOS AROUND 17 TO 1 EXPECTED. EVEN WITH THE DRIER SNOW,  
THE EVENING COMMUTE WILL BE IMPACTED TONIGHT. MINIMUM  
TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT WILL DIP INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS  
ABOVE ZERO, AROUND 20 CLOSEST TO LAKE CHAMPLAIN. MAXIMUM  
TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY WILL NOT GO TERRIBLY FAR FROM THE  
OVERNIGHT LOWS, GENERALLY ONLY REACHING THE TEENS TO LOWER 20S.  
MUCH COLDER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT, AND  
LOWS WILL DIP INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE AND BELOW ZERO.  
COLDEST SPOT WILL BE IN THE MORE SHELTERED AREAS OF THE  
ADIRONDACKS WHERE WE ARE LIKELY TO SEE LOWS DIP INTO THE TEENS  
BELOW ZERO. APPARENT TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT WILL BE DANGEROUSLY  
COLD.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 332 PM EST FRIDAY...WITH HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUING OVER  
THE REGION, CLEAR SKIES WILL MAKE SUNDAY AND MONDAY THE BEST  
OPTIONS FOR PRE-HOLIDAY TRAVEL. HIGH PRESSURE WILL KEEP  
TEMPERATURES 10-15 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE ON SUNDAY, WITH HIGHS  
ONLY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO MID-TEENS ACROSS THE AREA. LOWS ON  
SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BOTTOM OUT IN THE SINGLE DIGITS IN THE  
CHAMPLAIN AND ST. LAWRENCE VALLEYS, AND 5-15 DEGREES BELOW ZERO  
IN THE ADIRONDACKS AND GREENS. WIND CHILLS WILL BE 10-20 DEGREES  
BELOW ZERO WITH A STEADY 5-10 KT NORTHWEST WIND. EXTRA CARE  
SHOULD BE TAKEN BY THOSE VENTURING OUT SUNDAY NIGHT, AS  
FROSTBITE CAN SET IN QUICKLY UNDER THESE CONDITIONS.  
 
MONDAYS HIGH WILL BE SLIGHTLY WARMER, BUT STILL BELOW NORMAL,  
WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW-20S IN THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY, AND UPPER-  
TEENS IN THE MOUNTAINS. CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION WILL SLOWLY  
RETURN MONDAY AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A QUICK MOVING SHORTWAVE.  
PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE INTO THE ST. LAWRENCE VALLEY MONDAY  
EVENING AND INTO THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY AND GREENS BY EARLY  
TUESDAY MORNING. PRECIPITATION TYPES LOOK TO REMAIN ALL SNOW  
THROUGH THE EVENT. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE ON LAKE  
CHAMPLAIN MONDAY NIGHT UP TO 25 KTS ON THE BROAD WATERS AS THE  
SYSTEM APPROACHES.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
AS OF 332 PM EST FRIDAY...A WHITE CHRISTMAS LOOKS MORE AND MORE  
PROMISING ACROSS THE WHOLE REGION. SNOW SHOWERS AND GUSTY WINDS  
ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING INTO  
CHRISTMAS EVE. THE END TIMING OF THE PRECIPITATION REMAINS  
UNCERTAIN WITH HOW FAST THE SYSTEM MOVES. THE GFS KEEPS SNOW  
SHOWERS THROUGH CHRISTMAS EVE WITH LINGERING SHOWERS EARLY  
CHRISTMAS DAY, WHEREAS THE EUROPEAN MODEL INDICATES A FASTER  
MOVING SYSTEM ENDING BY LATE TUESDAY NIGHT. WITH HOW QUICK THE  
SYSTEM IS FORECASTED TO MOVE, EVEN WITH HIGH SLRS, SNOW  
ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIGHT IN THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY, WITH HIGHER  
AMOUNTS POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE SYSTEM WILL QUICKLY MOVE  
OFF THE COAST ON WEDNESDAY, BUT BECOME BLOCKED OFF OF THE MID-  
ATLANTIC WITH HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE COAST OF MAINE. THIS  
BLOCKING PATTERN WILL HELP DEVELOP A BREAKING WAVE PATTERN  
ACROSS THE ENTIRE EAST COAST, WITH A PRONOUNCED RIDGE ACROSS  
NEW ENGLAND. THIS INVERTED OMEGA BLOCKING PATTERN WILL PREVENT  
ANY SYSTEMS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY FROM MOVING INTO THE BTV AREA,  
AND KEEP THEM TO THE SOUTH. A STATIONARY FRONT WILL STALL OUT  
ALONG THE MASON-DIXON LINE KEEPING TEMPERATURES IN THE REGION  
FAIRLY CONSISTENT FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES  
WILL BE IN THE LOW TO MID-30S FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE AREA WITH  
SOME UPPER-20S IN THE MOUNTAINS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /21Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY...AS SNOW HAS MOVED INTO THE AREA WE'VE  
HAD REDUCTIONS IN BOTH VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS. WIDESPREAD  
SNOWFALL WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION, AND WILL  
CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. VISIBILITIES WILL  
LIKELY DROP BETWEEN 1SM AND 3SM, BRINGING WIDESPREAD IFR  
CONDITIONS WITHIN THE STEADY PRECIPITATION. CEILINGS WILL  
GRADUALLY BEGIN TO LOWER WITH THE ONSET OF THE SNOW, GENERALLY  
DROPPING TO MVFR ALTHOUGH OCCASIONAL IFR CEILINGS CANNOT BE  
RULED OUT. WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE LIGHT AND NORTHERLY  
THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
SATURDAY NIGHT: VFR. SLIGHT CHANCE SHSN.  
SUNDAY: VFR. NO SIG WX.  
SUNDAY NIGHT: VFR. NO SIG WX.  
MONDAY: VFR. NO SIG WX.  
MONDAY NIGHT: MAINLY VFR, WITH LOCAL MVFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE SHSN.  
TUESDAY: MAINLY MVFR, WITH LOCAL VFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE SHSN.  
TUESDAY NIGHT: MAINLY VFR, WITH AREAS MVFR POSSIBLE. SLIGHT  
CHANCE SHSN.  
CHRISTMAS DAY: VFR. NO SIG WX.  
 

 
   
BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
VT...NONE.  
NY...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
SYNOPSIS...NEILES  
NEAR TERM...NEILES  
SHORT TERM...DANZIG  
LONG TERM...DANZIG  
AVIATION...NEILES  
 
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