Updated at 2:11 p.m.
Thunderstorms are expected to bring 1 to 2 inches of rain and patches of severe weather to all of Vermont starting around 3 p.m. on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
At a press conference Thursday, Gov. Phil Scott urged Vermonters to pay attention to the weather reporting and plan ahead. He advised Vermonters to avoid traveling during the worst period of the storm, which is projected to run from about 4 to 8 p.m., according to his office.
“If you need to do something today, do it early. Don’t wait until tonight,” Scott said. “Flash flooding can happen quickly, and you don’t know when it could hit.”
John Goff, a senior hydrologist for the weather service, said it was “a typical scattered strong (to) severe thunderstorm day that we get every July,” but its timing is a cause for concern: The state is still recovering from the extreme rains and flooding it received earlier this week.
Because the ground is saturated, Goff said, “any additional rainfall could aggravate problems.” River flooding like the kind seen along the Winooski or Lamoille rivers this week is unlikely, but the weather service issued a flood watch for almost the entire state for flash flooding that could occur at some rivers and streams.
“This is not expected to be a repeat of Monday and Tuesday, but it will be dangerous in the areas that experience flash flooding,” Jennifer Morrison, the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said at a press conference Thursday.
The weather service extended the flood watch to southern Vermont on Thursday night. The western edge of Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties are the only regions of the state not included, because they weren’t heavily affected by the earlier storm, Goff said.
High winds and saturated soil could make falling trees a concern, since “trees will be more susceptible to falling because of the soil weakness,” Goff said.
He said some areas might get strong winds and hail, but it was hard to predict exactly where that would be. The worst of the storm is forecasted to hit between 3 to 7 p.m., traveling west to east across the state. An isolated tornado is also possible, according to a weather service alert.
Vermont Electric Co-op and Green Mountain Power warned in press releases that power outages were likely to occur due to strong winds and fallen trees.
Jake Brown, the co-op’s energy services planner, said in its release that power restoration could be complicated by poor road conditions from the earlier storm. He said Vermonters should plan for power outages and stay away from downed power lines.
Goff said that Vermonters doing recovery work outside should especially keep a close eye on the forecast.
Looking ahead, warm and humid midsummer weather and incoming weather systems are expected to continue to bring frequent rainfall through Sunday and early next week. “Whether those end up being higher-end heavy rainfall events or not, that’s yet to be seen,” Goff said.
Scott said he knew the rainy forecast was “hard news” for many, and people would be tempted to ease up when the clouds cleared on Saturday — but they needed to remain vigilant. “This isn’t over, and it won’t be over after this storm,” he said.
This story will be updated.
