737
FXUS61 KBTV 261805
AFDBTV
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
205 PM EDT THU MAR 26 2026
WHAT HAS CHANGED
AS OF 227 AM EDT THURSDAY...
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST.
KEY MESSAGES
AS OF 256 AM EDT THURSDAY...
1. WARMING CONDITIONS WITH WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN EXPECTED TODAY
INTO THE OVERNIGHT, CHANGING TO TERRAIN SNOW BY EARLY TOMORROW
MORNING.
2. UNSEASONABLY COLD TEMPERATURES AND DRIER CONDITIONS TO START
THE WEEKEND.
3. UNSETTLED WEATHER PREVAILS FOR MIDWEEK WITH A ROLLER COASTER
RIDE IN THE TEMPERATURE DEPARTMENT.
DISCUSSION
AS OF 718 AM EDT THURSDAY...
KEY MESSAGE 1: FOLLOWING THE NORTHWARD LIFT OF A WARM FRONT THIS
MORNING, TEMPERATURES WILL SURGE INTO THE UPPER 40S TO MID 50S
ACROSS THE REGION. AS MORNING SHOWERS LIFT NORTHEASTWARD, THERE
SHOULD BE SOME TIME FOR SOME DAYTIME HEATING WITH SOUTHERLY WAA.
LAPSE RATES WILL STEEPEN AS THE LOW TO MID LEVELS DRY AHEAD OF
ANOTHER APPROACHING SHORTWAVE. PORTIONS OF THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY AND
SOUTHERN VERMONT PERHAPS MAY REACH 60 DEGREES TOMORROW AFTERNOON
BRIEFLY, BUT THAT WILL BE DEPENDING ON THE TOTAL MIXING AND MAY BE
RELIANT ON SOME BREAKS IN SUN. HOWEVER, CONFIDENCE REMAINS HIGH THAT
SOME CLOUDS WILL LINGER BETWEEN SYSTEM TOMORROW WHICH MAY KEEP HIGHS
UNDER 60. AIDING OUR WARM SURGE WILL BE BREEZY SOUTH TO NORTH WINDS
15-20 MPH PARTICULARLY IN THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY. AS OUR NEXT SYSTEM
ARRIVES TOMORROW AFTERNOON, WINDS WILL BECOME WESTERLY, SHIFTING THE
AREA OF BREEZY CONDITIONS TO THE EASTERN DOWNSLOPE REGIONS OF THE
ADIRONDACKS AND EASTERN GREENS, WHERE GUSTS MAY REACH 20-25 MPH.
OUR NEXT SYSTEM WILL BRING WIDESPREAD RAIN AND EVENTUALLY SOME MIXED
PRECIPITATION TOMORROW AFTERNOON INTO THE OVERNIGHT. RAIN IS
EXPECTED TO MOVE FROM WEST TO EAST AFTERNOON TOMORROW FROM NORTHERN
NEW YORK INTO VERMONT. THE TRACK OF THE SYSTEM HAS SLIDE A BIT SOUTH
IN THE RECENT GUIDANCE WHICH HAS LED TO A SLIGHT REDUCTION IN
OVERALL RAINFALL AMOUNTS, HOWEVER WE ARE STILL ANTICIPATING A
WETTING RAIN BETWEEN A TENTH TO TWO TENTHS IN THE NORTHERN CHAMPLAIN
VALLEY, DUE TO ADIRONDACKS SHADOWING, AND AROUND A QUARTER INCH
ELSEWHERE. LOCATIONS IN EXTREME SOUTHERN VERMONT COULD SEE LOCALLY
HIGHER AMOUNTS DUE TO HIGHER CONFIDENCE IN MORE PERSISTENT RAINFALL
WITH AMOUNTS AROUND 0.4 INCHES. A COLD FRONT WILL THEN SLIDE ACROSS
THE REGION TOMORROW EVENING SHARPLY DROPPING TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT
SUCH THAT FRIDAY MORNING TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE UPPER TEENS TO
MID 20S. AS TEMPERATURES FALL THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT, RAIN WILL
CHANGE TO A WINTRY MIX AND THEN SNOW FROM NORTH TO SOUTH, TAPERING
OFF AROUND MIDNIGHT FRIDAY. RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW ACROSS THE
HIGHER ELEVATIONS FIRST, THEN POTENTIALLY REACHING THE VALLEY FLOORS
BRIEFLY, BUT MOISTURE WILL BE EXITING AT THE SURFACE AS TEMPERATURES
FALL WHICH WILL LIMIT ANY ACCUMULATIONS. SNOW MAY LINGER ACROSS THE
ADIRONDACKS AND NORTHEAST KINGDOM INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING WITH A
QUICK DUSTING TO A FEW TENTHS OF AN INCH OF SNOW ABOVE. THE SUMMITS
COULD LOCALLY SEE AN INCH POTENTIALLY. THE SYSTEM SHOULD FULLY CLEAR
THE REGION BY EARLY TO MID MORNING FRIDAY.
KEY MESSAGE 2: BEHIND OUR END OF WEEK SYSTEM FRIDAY MORNING, THE REST
OF FRIDAY WILL BE QUIET WEATHER WISE WITH CLEARING SKIES, THOUGH
REMAINING ON THE COLD SIDE. HIGHS WILL STRUGGLE TO REACH THE
FREEZING MARK WITH VALUES IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOW 30S. WITH CLEARING
SKIES, HOWEVER, THE MARCH SUN ANGLE SHOULD MAKE IT FEEL SLIGHTLY
WARMER THAN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WOULD SUGGEST. THIS SUN ANGLE
SHOULD ALSO LEAD TO WIDESPREAD SNOW MELT UNDER 1500FT, WHICH
WITH THE RAINFALL FROM TODAY WILL LEAD TO SOME LOCAL RIVER
RISES, HOWEVER, NO RIVERS ARE CURRENTLY FORECAST TO REACH ACTION
STAGE. BREEZY CONDITIONS FRIDAY MORNING WILL SUBSIDE BY THE
AFTERNOON AS WE TREND TOWARDS LIGHTER NORTHERLY WINDS UNDER 10
MPH. FRIDAY NIGHT WILL, IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, BE THE LAST COLD
NIGHT OF THE SEASON AS LOWS DIP TO THE SINGLE DIGITS FOR MOST
LOCATIONS OUTSIDE OF SOUTHERN VERMONT AND THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY
WHERE LOWS WILL FALL TO THE LOW TO MID TEENS. A FEW SHELTERED
LOCATIONS IN THE ADIRONDACKS AND FAR NORTHERN NORTHEAST KINGDOM
COULD POTENTIALLY NEAR 0 DEGREES. LOWS IN GENERAL WILL NOT BE
RECORD BREAKING BY ANY MEANS, BUT RATHER 10 DEGREES BELOW
AVERAGE.
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FOR SATURDAY KEEPING THE REGION UNDER
UNSEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS WITH HIGHS AROUND 10-15 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL. HIGHS WILL ONCE AGAIN STRUGGLE TO REACH THE FREEZING MARK
AREAWIDE WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 20S TO LOW 30S, AS NORTHWEST FLOW
CONTINUES TO KEEP COOL CANADIAN AIR FUNNELED INTO THE AREA. NOTABLY,
WHILE THERE IS MODERATE CONFIDENCE IN CALM WEATHER ON SATURDAY,
LAPSE RATES WILL BE RELATIVELY STEEP WITH SOME ENERGY RIDING ALONG
THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE HIGH PRESSURE, WHICH COULD LEAD TO
SOME ISOLATED CONVECTIVE LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS. CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN
SHOWER ACTIVITY GIVEN THE HIGH AND DRY AIR ACROSS THE AREA, AND ANY
SHOWERS WOULD NOT CAUSE ANY IMPACTS AS ACCUMULATIONS WOULD BE
MINIMAL WITH LIMITED MOISTURE.
KEY MESSAGE 3: THE LATEST WPC FORECAST HAS ARRIVED INTO OUR
DATABASE, WHICH SUGGESTS UNSETTLED WX DEVELOPS FOR MIDWEEK WITH
CHANGEABLE TEMPS AS A SFC BOUNDARY REMAINS DRAPED ACRS OUR CWA.
THE WPC GRIDS INDICATE THE HIGHEST PROBABILITY OF PRECIP IS LATE
WEDS INTO THURS, WITH THEIR GRIDS SUGGESTING POPS IN THE 60 TO
70% RANGE. THE LARGE SCALE SYNOPTIC SETUP IS SIMILAR TO OUR CRNT
EVENT WITH A SHARP BOUNDARY DRAPED ACRS OUR CWA FOR MIDWEEK,
WHILE WEAK AREA OF LOW PRES DEVELOPS ALONG THERMAL GRADIENT.
INITIALLY A WARM FRONT AND ASSOCIATED LIFT/MOISTURE PRODUCES A
MIX OF RAIN/SNOW ON WEDS MORNING. DEVELOPING SOUTHWEST 850MB JET
OF 45 TO 60 KNOTS WL HELP TO EVENTUALLY PLACE MOST OF OUR CWA
IN A WARM SECTOR FOR 18 TO 24 HOURS, AS PRIMARY SFC LOW PRES
TRACKS TO OUR NORTH ON WEDS NIGHT INTO THURS. ITS ALWAYS
CHALLENGING WITH LINGERING ARCTIC HIGH PRES OVER CENTRAL/EASTERN
CANADA, WITH THE TIMING AND MAGNITUDE OF WAA ACRS OUR CWA,
ESPECIALLY IF LOW LEVEL FLOW REMAINS FROM THE NORTH, AS PROGGED
BY SOME GUIDANCE. EVENTUALLY SFC LOW PRES SHIFTS EASTWARD AND
LLVL CAA DEVELOPS ON BACKSIDE WITH TEMPS DROPPING BACK BELOW
NORMAL BY LATE WEEK. NO LARGE SCALE IMPACTFUL OR SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER IS INDICATED BY WPC GRIDS ATTM. JUST A HEADS UP, IT
LOOKS LIKE OUR SUMMIT WINDS FROM WPC ARE WAY TOO LIGHT FOR
MIDWEEK ASSOCIATED WITH DEVELOPING LLVL JET OF 45 TO 60 KNOTS,
EXPECT GUSTS UP TO 50 KNOTS AT SUMMIT LEVEL.
AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY...A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT JUST NORTH OF THE
AIRSPACE WILL SUPPORT PERIODS OF RAIN BEFORE IT SLIPS SOUTH OF THE
AREA TONIGHT. STEADIEST RAIN APPEARS TO BE FAVORED IN SOUTHERN
PORTIONS OF THE AIRSPACE, WHERE BOTH CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES ARE
MORE LIKELY TO BE REDUCED INTO THE MVFR CATEGORY SOUTH OF THE FRONT,
MAINLY FROM 22Z TO 02Z. THE WIND SHIFT FROM SOUTH-SOUTHWEST TO
NORTHERLY FLOW WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 22Z AND 04Z FROM NORTH TO SOUTH,
WITH GUSTY WINDS EXPECTING AS THE BOUNDARY PASSES WITH
FREQUENT GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 KNOTS EXPECTED. A BRIEF CHANGEOVER
OF RAIN TO SNOW BEFORE PRECIPITATION ENDS IS POSSIBLE, WITH
GREATEST PROBABILITIES AT EFK.
IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT, ESPECIALLY JUST NORTH OF IT, IFR
CEILINGS WITH CLOUD BASES NEAR 600 TO 900 FEET ARE EXPECTED AT
MOST TERMINALS. EXPECTED DURATION OF IFR CONDITIONS REMAINS
SHORT, GENERALLY 1 TO 5 HOURS, WITH PREDOMINATELY MVFR CEILINGS
OTHERWISE. GIVEN THE TIMING OF THE FRONT, MSS IS THE SITE MOST
FAVORED TO SEE IFR CONDITIONS BEFORE 00Z (ABOUT A 50% CHANCE).
EXPECT A MARKED IMPROVEMENT TO VFR AS CLOUDS GRADUALLY SCATTER
TOWARDS DAYBREAK, WITH A BKN MVFR CLOUD DECK SCATTERING LAST IN
CENTRAL/EASTERN VERMONT AND ADIRONDACKS BY THE END OF THE TAF
PERIOD.
OUTLOOK...
FRIDAY NIGHT: VFR. NO SIG WX.
SATURDAY: VFR. NO SIG WX.
SATURDAY NIGHT: VFR. CHANCE SHSN.
SUNDAY: VFR. NO SIG WX.
SUNDAY NIGHT: VFR. NO SIG WX.
MONDAY: MAINLY VFR, WITH LOCAL MVFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE SHRA.
MONDAY NIGHT: MAINLY VFR, WITH LOCAL IFR POSSIBLE. SLIGHT CHANCE
SHSN.
TUESDAY: VFR. SLIGHT CHANCE SHRA, SLIGHT CHANCE SHSN.
EQUIPMENT
THE COLCHESTER REEF METEOROLOGICAL STATION IS OUT OF SERVICE.
THIS SITE IS NOT SERVICED BY THE NWS. AN ESTIMATED RETURN TO
SERVICE IS MAY 1ST. PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU OBSERVE WINDS
SIGNIFICANTLY DEVIATING FROM THE RECREATIONAL FORECAST.
BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
VT...NONE.
NY...NONE.
WHAT HAS CHANGED...DANZIG
DISCUSSION...DANZIG/TABER
AVIATION...KUTIKOFF
EQUIPMENT...NWS BTV
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