Spring is on its way next week, but it may not feel like it to many parts of Vermont, as a winter storm is expected to wallop parts of the state beginning Monday night.
Some southern towns could see more than a foot of snow, meteorologists predict, with the heaviest periods of snowfall impacting the Tuesday morning commute.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning — indicating severe conditions and difficult or impossible travel — for the southern portion of the state from 8 p.m. Monday through 8 a.m. Wednesday. A winter weather advisory, which is less serious, is in effect for many central towns.
“We expect more impacts in the southern region, especially the mountain areas. It’ll be quite an elevation-dependent event,” said Robert Haynes, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Burlington office.
Because of higher temperatures on Monday evening, the National Weather Service expects limited accumulation on only elevated surfaces. However, by Tuesday morning, snowfall is expected to accumulate, meteorologists predict.
Southern parts of the state can expect complications to the Tuesday morning commute, as well as possible utility issues due to the snowfall, Haynes said.
“Down south, toward Bennington and Windham (counties) especially, could have some scattered to even widespread utility outages,” Haynes said.
Green Mountain Power, which serves over 270,000 Vermont homes and businesses, issued a statement Monday afternoon asking its customers to prioritize safety. The power company anticipates downed lines and power outages due to heavy snow.
“We want customers to be aware of the changing conditions in the forecast and to be safe,” Mike Burke, the utility’s vice president of field operations, said in the statement. “Travel could be difficult, and snow may be heavy enough and wet enough in some higher elevation areas to weigh down trees and lines.”
Green Mountain Power is encouraging customers who may be impacted to have bottled water, a charged cell phone, and flashlights on hand in case of outages. Customers who encounter downed lines should stay clear and call 888-835-4672 to report outages.
Bennington and Brattleboro can expect 12.2 and 15 inches of snow respectively, according to the National Weather Service. Northern portions of the state are forecasted to receive less than five inches of snowfall.
The National Weather Service forecasts the most intense portion of the storm to begin around 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Tuesday and continue through 11 a.m.
Snow storms this time of year are nothing out of the ordinary, according to Haynes.
Nearly 30 years ago — on March 12, 1993 — Vermont was met with the “storm of the century,” which deposited over 30 inches of snow to parts of the state, according to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Association.
Even short of such historic events, winter storms are fairly common in Vermont in March, as warmer air moving in from the south can bring heavy snow, Haynes said. Similar storms hit the state in 2014 and 2017.
“You’re getting some warmer air, more moisture, out of the southern U.S. that’s working its way up. And so that just gives a little bit more precipitation to work with,” Haynes said.