213  
FXUS61 KBTV 041956  
AFDBTV  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT  
256 PM EST SUN JAN 4 2026  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
TEMPERATURES TREND COLDER TONIGHT WITH MOST LOCATIONS RANGING  
FROM THE SINGLE DIGITS BELOW ZERO TO AROUND MINUS FIFTEEN  
DEGREES. FLURRIES AND LIGHT SNOW ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AS A  
WEAKER VARIETY CLIPPER SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. THEN,  
TEMPERATURES TREND WARMER MID TO LATE WEEK WITH TWO POTENTIALLY  
IMPACTFUL SYSTEMS BRINGING A MIX WINTRY PRECIPITATION TYPES TO  
NORTHERN NEW YORK AND VERMONT.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/  
 
* A PERSISTENT LAKE ENHANCED SNOW BAND HAS FORMED OVER PORTIONS  
OF ESSEX COUNTY, NY BRINGING LOCALIZED SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 4  
TO 10 INCHES IN THE MORIAH AND TICONDEROGA. THIS SNOWFALL WILL  
LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING AND MUCH OF THE OVERNIGHT  
PERIOD - AS LONG AS LIGHT NORTH WINDS PREVAIL. ANOTHER 2 TO 6  
INCHES IS POSSIBLE FOR THIS AREA.  
 
AS OF 253 PM EST SUNDAY...ONGOING LIGHT SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF  
THE LOWER CHAMPLAIN VALLEY AND SOUTHERN VERMONT CONTINUE WITH A  
STATIONARY BOUNDARY DRAPED ALONG THE VERMONT/MASSACHUSETTS.  
THESE ARE LARGELY INCONSEQUENTIAL, BUT WILL CONTINUE INTO THE  
EVENING AS A WEAK TROUGH MOVES ALONG THE BOUNDARY. TONIGHT,  
CLOUDS BEGIN TO CLEAR WITH HIGH PRESSURE NOSING IN. THE RESULT  
WILL BE THE FORMATION OF A STRONG RADIATION INVERSION AND  
TEMPERATURES DROPPING OVERNIGHT. HOWEVER, TIMING OF CLOUD CLEAR  
WILL BE TRICKY AS SATELLITE SHOWS AN AREA OF CLOUDS TRACKING  
INTO NORTHERN NY AND EVENTUALLY VERMONT. BEST CHANCES FOR VERY  
FRIGID TEMPERATURES AROUND AND SLIGHTLY BELOW -15F WILL BE  
FRANKLIN/CLINTON COUNTIES OF NEW YORK AND NORTHEASTERN VERMONT.  
ANY DRAINAGE WINDS THAT SET UP COULD PRODUCE A SLIGHTLY WIND  
CHILL WITH VALUES ENCROACHING ON -20 DEGREES. HOWEVER, MOST  
LOCATIONS AWAY FROM TERRAIN WILL LIKELY SEE CALM WINDS AS SKIES  
CLEAR.  
 
A CLIPPER STYLE SYSTEM IS ON TAP FOR MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT THAT IS  
EXPECTED TO SPEED THROUGH THE REGION. MOISTURE CONTINUE  
CONTINUES TO BE LOW GIVEN COLD CONDITIONS AND LACK OF ANY REAL  
MOISTURE TAP - IT'LL TOTALLY RELY ON WHAT IT CAN ADVECT IN FROM  
THE GREAT LAKES REGION. AS SUCH, MOST SPOTS WILL SEE ON TOKEN  
AMOUNTS LESS THAN 1 INCH OF SNOW WITH AROUND 2 INCHES POSSIBLE  
FOR LOCATIONS IN SOUTHERN VERMONT, TOWARDS ST LAWRENCE COUNTY,  
AND IN THE ADIRONDACKS OF ESSEX COUNTY, NY.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/  
 
AS OF 208 PM EST SUNDAY...AFTER A MUCH WARMER DAY ON TUESDAY  
THAN THE PAST SEVERAL, A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM TRACKS UP THE  
ST. LAWRENCE VALLEY AND BRINGS A ROUND OF WIDESPREAD  
PRECIPITATION. THERE LOOKS TO BE JUST ENOUGH COLD AIR AT THE  
ONSET FOR THE PRECIPITATION TO START OUT AS SNOW FOR MOST  
PLACES, EVEN IN THE VALLEYS. THE EXCEPTION MAY BE PART OF THE  
WESTERN ADIRONDACKS WHERE TEMPERATURES RISE ABOVE FREEZING  
QUICKLY. WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO  
WEDNESDAY AND TRY TO CHANGE THE PRECIPITATION OVER TO RAIN, BUT  
A SECONDARY LOW LOOKS TO QUICKLY DEVELOP TO THE SOUTH AND HELP  
KEEP THE COLDER AIR LOCKED IN PLACE. WHILE MODEL UNCERTAINTY  
REMAINS, THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO IS SNOW BEGINS EVERYWHERE,  
BEFORE CHANGING INTO A WINTRY MIX IN MOST AREAS, THOUGH SOME  
AREAS EAST OF THE GREENS MAY REMAIN ALL SNOW. ICE ACCUMULATIONS  
UNDER A TENTH OF AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE, AND ONE TO TWO INCHES OF  
SNOW/SLEET LOOK TO BE REASONABLE. THE OVERALL AMOUNT OF  
PRECIPITATION IS LIMITED WITH THIS SYSTEM, WITH ONLY A COUPLE  
TENTHS OF AN INCH OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT AT MOST, SO REGARDLESS OF  
THE PRECIPITATION TYPES, THE IMPACTS SHOULD BE ON THE MINOR  
SIDE COMPARED TO THE WINTRY MESS LAST WEEK.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
AS OF 208 PM EST SUNDAY...BEHIND THE EXITING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM, THE  
AIRMASS WILL BE RELATIVELY WARM. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO RISE INTO THE  
30S MOST PLACES ON THURSDAY. AN STRONGER LOW PRESSURE ATTEMPTS TO  
PASS TO THE WEST OF THE REGION ON FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY, SENDING THE  
REGION INTO THE WARM SECTOR AGAIN. WITH A RELATIVELY WARM ANTECEDENT  
AIRMASS, THE PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO BE MOSTLY RAIN, UNTIL THE CENTER  
OF THE LOW PASSES TO THE EAST AND PUSHES THE COLD FRONT THROUGH.  
SOME BACK END SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY, PARTICULARLY IN  
THE MOUNTAINS, BUT ANY SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS LOOK TO BE  
UNLIKELY. THE RELATIVELY SHORT DURATION OF THE THAW, COMBINED WITH  
TEMPERATURES AND DEW POINTS LOOKING TO MOSTLY STAY IN THE 30S TO  
AROUND 40, SIGNIFICANT SNOWMELT OR ICE MOVEMENT IS NOT LIKELY DURING  
THIS EVENT AT THIS POINT. THERE IS STILL SOMEWHAT SIGNIFICANT MODEL  
DISAGREEMENT WITH THE TRACK OF THE LOW, THOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A  
GRADUAL CONVERGENCE IN A WESTERLY STORM TRACK, AND THE TIME FOR A  
PIVOT TO A COLDER SNOWIER SOLUTION IS QUICKLY RUNNING OUT. BEHIND  
THE LOW PRESSURE, ANOTHER EXTENDED STRETCH OF COLD TEMPERATURES WITH  
CHANCES FOR SNOW SHOWERS LOOKS TO BEGIN.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /20Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/  
 
THROUGH 18Z MONDAY...VFR TO MVFR LOW GREAT LAKES CLOUDS ARE SLOWLY  
SHIFTING EAST WITH POCKETS OF INTERMITTENT CLEARING. AT THIS TIME  
MOST SITES ARE VFR THOUGH CEILINGS ARE HOVERING AROUND 2500-3500FT  
AGL. WITH A PREVAILING MID LEVEL DECK AROUND 5000-6000FT AGL.  
POCKETS OF SCATTERED TO BROKEN HAVE LEAD TO INTERMITTENT MVFR  
CEILINGS ABOVE 2000FT AGL WHICH LOOK TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 2-3  
HOURS OR SO BEFORE SOME CLEARING UPSTREAM NEAR OTTAWA TRIES TO WORK  
IN. THE MOST IMPACTED TERMINALS ARE AT SLK/EFK WHERE LOW LEVEL  
MOISTURE HAS YET TO SCOUR OUT WITH SOME HZ/BR AND LIGHT SNOW WHICH  
HAS REDUCED VSBYS AT TIMES TO MAINLY 3-5SM AT SLK AND IFR 1-2SM AT  
EFK. GLAMP GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THESE SHOWERS SHOULD TAPER BY 20-22Z.  
INTO THIS EVENING CONTINUED LOWER CEILINGS ARE PROGGED BY THE HREF,  
HOWEVER, WITH WINDS SHIFTING TO LIGHT NORTHERLIES, CEILINGS WILL BE  
A CHALLENGING FORECAST WITH HOW LONG AND HOW LOW THESE CEILINGS GET.  
NORTHERLY WINDS COULD PUSH THE LOWER LAKE CLOUDS SOUTH OF THE  
REGION, BUT MORE VARIABLE WINDS WOULD LIKELY KEEP MVFR CEILINGS  
AROUND AT BTV/PBG/SLK/EFK FOR MOST OF THE NIGHT. CURRENT THINKING  
LEANS INTO THE HREF MODEL SOLUTION. REFINEMENTS WILL BE MADE IN THE  
00 AND 06Z TAFS. THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT THAT BY 12Z, ANY LOW  
CEILINGS WILL BE PUSHED OUT WITH BRIEF VFR CONDITIONS AND SOUTHERLY  
LIGHT WINDS FOR ALL TERMINALS. BY 16-18Z, A CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL MOVE  
INTO THE REGION FROM WEST TO EAST WITH IFR SNOW AND MVFR/IFR  
CEILINGS.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
MONDAY NIGHT: VFR. CHANCE SN.  
TUESDAY: MAINLY VFR, WITH AREAS MVFR POSSIBLE. SLIGHT CHANCE  
SHSN.  
TUESDAY NIGHT: MAINLY MVFR, WITH LOCAL IFR POSSIBLE. LIKELY SN,  
LIKELY FZRA.  
WEDNESDAY: MAINLY MVFR, WITH LOCAL IFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE RA,  
CHANCE SN.  
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: MAINLY MVFR, WITH LOCAL IFR POSSIBLE. NO SIG WX.  
THURSDAY: MAINLY MVFR, WITH AREAS VFR POSSIBLE. NO SIG WX.  
THURSDAY NIGHT: MAINLY VFR, WITH LOCAL IFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE RA,  
CHANCE SN.  
FRIDAY: MAINLY VFR, WITH LOCAL IFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE RA.  
 
 
   
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.  
 
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. USE EXTRA CAUTION WHEN  
NAVIGATING THE BROAD WATERS OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN. PLEASE CONTACT US  
IF YOU OBSERVE WINDS SIGNIFICANTLY DEVIATING FROM THE  
RECREATIONAL FORECAST.  
 
 
   
BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
VT...NONE.  
NY...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...BOYD  
NEAR TERM...BOYD  
SHORT TERM...MYSKOWSKI  
LONG TERM...MYSKOWSKI  
AVIATION...DANZIG  
EQUIPMENT...TEAM BTV  
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