122  
FXUS61 KBTV 311102  
AFDBTV  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT  
702 AM EDT TUE MAR 31 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
AS OF 341 AM EDT TUESDAY...  
 
HAVE REMOVED GRAND ISLE COUNTY FROM THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY AND  
LOWERED ICE ACCRETION TOTALS IN THE ADVISORY AREA AS WELL.  
TEMPERATURES ARE STILL IN THE 40S ACROSS THE REGION, THEREFORE NOT  
EXPECTING AS MUCH FREEZING RAIN.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
AS OF 413 AM EDT TUESDAY...  
 
1. ROUND 1 OF RAIN WITH WINTRY MIX NEAR THE INTERNATIONAL  
BORDER TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY.  
 
2. ROUND 2 OF RAIN WITH WINTRY MIX NEAR THE INTERNATIONAL  
BORDER THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY.  
 
3. RIVER RISES EXPECTED WITH LOCAL LOWLAND FIELD FLOODING  
POSSIBLE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY.  
 
4. WARM CONDITIONS LIKELY FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WITH PERIODS OF  
GUSTY WINDS POSSIBLE.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
AS OF 413 AM EDT TUESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1: A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TRACKS WEST TO EAST ACROSS OUR  
AREA TODAY SOMEWHERE IN THE VICINITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER. WE  
ARE MAINLY EXPECTING LIGHT RAIN AS THIS LOW MOVES ACROSS THE AREA  
ALONG A STALLED OUT FRONT WHICH IS BISECTING THE REGION. OVERNIGHT  
MINIMUM TEMPERATURES HAVE NOT DROPPED LOWER THAN THE 40S, THEREFORE  
NOT EXPECTING FREEZING RAIN THIS MORNING. AS TEMPERATURES COOL THIS  
EVENING THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR SOME LIGHT FREEZING RAIN,  
GENERALLY UP TO A COUPLE HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH. RAINFALL TOTALS WILL  
RANGE FROM AROUND SIX TENTHS OF AN INCH UP TO AN INCH AND A QUARTER  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WHEN THE PRECIPITATION WILL WIND DOWN.  
THERE IS SOME ELEVATED INSTABILITY IN PLACE, THEREFORE CAN'T RULE  
OUT A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER, AND ALSO SOME RAIN BEING HEAVY AT  
TIMES. BEST CHANCES FOR THUNDER WILL BE ACROSS OUR SOUTHERN ZONES.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2: ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM TRACKS ACROSS THE REGION FOR LATE  
THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE ESTABLISHED ON  
THURSDAY AND IT WILL PROVIDE A COLD ANTECEDENT AIRMASS FOR THIS LOW  
PRESSURE TO RUN INTO. WITH THE CURRENT EXPECTED STORM TRACK, THE  
PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO START AS A WINTRY MIX AND TRANSITION TO ALL  
RAIN. AREAS EAST OF THE GREENS WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF SEEING  
SOME ICE ACCRETION WHERE THERE WILL BE SOME COLD AIR DAMMING ON THE  
EAST SIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS. THIS SYSTEM WILL ALSO ONLY HAVE SMALL  
ICE ACCRETIONS, UP TO TWO HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH. WINDS WILL BE GUSTY  
BEHIND THIS SYSTEM AS IT PULLS AWAY TO THE EAST, SOUTHERLY GUSTS  
AROUND 30 KTS ARE POSSIBLE.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 3: COMBINATION OF THE TWO RAIN SYSTEMS THIS WEEK WILL  
PROVIDE US WITH ONE TO TWO INCHES OF QPF. THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME  
SNOW MELT AS TEMPERATURES REMAIN MILD THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
COMBINATION OF THESE FACTORS WILL MEAN WE COULD SEE SOME SHARP RISES  
ON AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS. AT THIS TIME THINK THAT WE WILL MAINLY  
SEE WITHIN BANK RISES, BUT SOME GAGES COULD REACH ACTION STAGE MID  
WEEK.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 4: A HIGHER AMPLITUDE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN BECOMES PROBABLE  
OVER THE WEEKEND AS A TROUGH DIGS OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS STATES.  
THIS PATTERN SHOULD KEEP THE STORM TRACK TO OUR WEST WITH LOWER  
CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION THAN EARLIER IN THE WEEK. THE FLOW PATTERN  
WILL ALSO MAINTAIN THE PERSISTENT RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC  
AND THE ASSOCIATED WARM AIR OVER MUCH OF THE EASTERN US. AS SUCH,  
UNSEASONABLE WARMTH, WHICH HAS OCCASIONALLY SURGED NORTHWARD, SHOULD  
BECOME MORE SUSTAINED IN OUR AREA. HIGH TEMPERATURES COULD BE WELL  
INTO THE 60S TO LOW 70S FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.  
 
AS OF NOW, BOTH FRIDAY AND SUNDAY LOOK FAIRLY SIMILAR WITH REGARDS  
TO GUSTY SOUTH WINDS. THE ECMWF EXTREME FORECAST INDEX IS ALSO  
FAIRLY BULLISH ON HIGH TEMPERATURES BEING QUITE WARM ON SUNDAY AHEAD  
OF THE SYSTEM'S COLD FRONT, PARTICULARLY IN THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY AND  
SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF OUR NEW YORK FORECAST AREA. HOWEVER, AN EARLIER  
TIMING OF THE FRONT WILL SUPPORT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BEING MORE  
LIKELY WARMER DAYS DESPITE THIS POTENTIAL WARMTH. BASED ON THE 00Z  
ENSEMBLE DATA, THE SLOWER FRONTAL TIMING SEEMS TO BE DOMINATED BY  
THE ENS OVER THE GEFS/GEPS, SO THINK THINGS MAY TREND TOWARDS A  
FASTER FRONTAL PASSAGE AND A LESS WARM SCENARIO FOR SUNDAY, ALTHOUGH  
MORNING TEMPERATURES WOULD BE UNUSUALLY MILD. GUSTY POST FRONTAL,  
WESTERLY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE REGARDLESS SOMETIME IN THE LATER  
SUNDAY-MONDAY PERIOD AS TEMPERATURES FALL BACK TOWARDS NORMAL EARLY  
APRIL VALUES.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY...RAIN SHOWERS HAVE BECOME MORE  
WIDESPREAD, RESULTING IN A TREND TOWARDS MAINLY MVFR CONDITIONS  
WITH VERY BRIEF IFR VISIBILITIES IN ANY HEAVIER SHOWERS. A LULL  
IN RAIN IS EXPECTED AT ALL TERMINALS LATER THIS MORNING BEFORE  
ROUNDS OF WIDESPREAD SHOWERS ARRIVE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.  
MOIST CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH CONVERGENT FLOW PATTERNS WILL  
LEAD TO INCREASING CHANCES FOR LOW CEILINGS AND IFR CONDITIONS  
EVEN AS STEADY RAIN ENDS, ESPECIALLY IN NORTHERN TERMINALS. RAIN  
MAY ALSO HAVE EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING, ALTHOUGH  
PROBABILITIES ARE TOO LOW TO MENTION IN TAFS. GREATEST RISK OF  
THUNDER WOULD BE IN SOUTHERN TERMINALS INCLUDING SLK, RUT, AND  
MPV.  
 
WINDS WILL BE SOMEWHAT CHANGEABLE BASED ON THE WAVERING  
POSITION OF A FRONT BISECTING THE AIRSPACE. AT NORTHERNMOST  
TERMINALS, EXPECT MAINLY LIGHT NORTHERLY FLOW, ALTHOUGH MSS  
CONTINUES TO HAVE GUSTIER NORTHEAST WINDS THAN OTHER SITES AS  
TYPICAL IN THESE PATTERNS. WINDS WILL TEND SOUTHERLY AT MPV AND  
RUT, BUT ALSO LIGHT. THESE SURFACE WINDS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY  
BURSTS OF STRONGER SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS ALOFT AS CLUSTERS OF  
SHOWERS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA, ESPECIALLY AFTER 22Z, RESULTING  
IN AREAS OF LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR AT BTV, SLK, AND RUT PRIMARILY.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
WEDNESDAY: MAINLY VFR, WITH LOCAL IFR POSSIBLE. SLIGHT CHANCE RA,  
SLIGHT CHANCE FZRA.  
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: VFR. CHANCE FZRA, CHANCE PL, SLIGHT CHANCE SN.  
THURSDAY: MAINLY MVFR, WITH AREAS VFR POSSIBLE. LIKELY RA, CHANCE  
FZRA, CHANCE SN, CHANCE PL.  
THURSDAY NIGHT: MAINLY MVFR, WITH LOCAL VFR POSSIBLE. DEFINITE  
RA, CHANCE TSRA, LIKELY FZRA.  
FRIDAY: MAINLY MVFR, WITH LOCAL IFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE RA.  
FRIDAY NIGHT: MAINLY MVFR, WITH LOCAL IFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE RA.  
SATURDAY: MAINLY VFR, WITH AREAS MVFR POSSIBLE. CHANCE RA.  
 
 
   
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...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM EDT  
WEDNESDAY FOR NYZ026>028-030-031.  
 
 
 
 
 
WHAT HAS CHANGED...NEILES  
DISCUSSION...NEILES/KUTIKOFF  
AVIATION...KUTIKOFF  
EQUIPMENT...NWS BTV  
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