Burlington, Vermont – An intense stretch of winter weather is unfolding across Vermont and northern New York, beginning with dangerous Arctic cold and snow squalls today before a potentially high-impact snowstorm moves in late Sunday into Monday.
According to the National Weather Service in Burlington, lake-effect snow and snow squalls will continue today, with southern St. Lawrence County in New York seeing an additional 2 to 4 inches by early evening. Elsewhere, brief heavy snow showers and squalls may rapidly reduce visibility, making travel hazardous during both commutes. A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for parts of northern New York through this evening.
Conditions turn more dangerous tonight as an Extreme Cold Warning takes effect across the entire region from Friday evening through early Saturday afternoon. Wind chills are expected to plunge between 20 and 40 degrees below zero, cold enough for frostbite to occur in as little as 10 minutes on exposed skin. Subzero temperatures are expected to linger through Saturday night.
Attention then shifts to a developing winter storm expected to arrive Sunday evening. Forecasters indicate a high likelihood of widespread, plowable snowfall across Vermont and northern New York, with a Winter Storm Watch in effect from Sunday afternoon through late Monday night. Many areas have a strong probability of exceeding 8 inches of snow, though exact totals remain uncertain.
Travel impacts are expected to peak Sunday night into Monday as snowfall intensifies. Additional warnings may be issued as confidence in snowfall amounts increases, and residents are urged to prepare now for both the extreme cold and the coming storm.
