Weather on Lake Champlain

Dry year in Vermont shriveled crops, dried wells The dry weather of 2001 brought about changes large and small around Vermont. ... The drought stunted second and third crops of hay around Vermont and it limited snowmaking at ski resorts that hadn't prepared by filling ponds. It dropped the level of Lake Champlain so low -- 93 feet -- that boats ran aground more frequently, hitting ob- stacles that used to be far underwater. Burlington got only a little better than 23 inches, more than 11 inches below normal -- which put 2001 at the fourth-driest ever for Vermont's largest city. Ten of 12 months in 2001 registered less than normal precipitation. ... Homeowners ran out of water when their springs, and then their wells, started drying up in the summer and fall. Many drilled new wells, causing a flurry of business for drilling companies. For a well to run dry is unusual, said Frost -- something he used to see in only one in 100 wells.

Low lake level brings problems to the surface Lake Champlain has reached its lowest level in 30 years, leaving beaches around the lake looking like windswept deserts littered with driftwood and an occasional tire, milk crate or other bits of junk. The lake was at 93.75 feet Friday, or about 2.5 feet lower than the average January lake level of 96.23 feet. The cause is Vermont's ongoing drought. The low lake level reduces the likelihood of spring flooding, according to Greg Hanson, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Burlington. However, the lake's low water presents problems: -- Boaters needing more than 2 feet of water to float their vessels can't get into the Winooski River, said David Bourbeau of the U.S. Coast Guard. -- Stranded driftwood and debris will challenge parks and recreation departments around the lake this spring as workers tidy beaches in preparation for the summer season. -- Low water will test the ability of certain lakeside structures to survive the extremes.

Warm weather melts recreation WILLISTON -- The temperature was hovering just below 40 degrees Saturday afternoon when Cathy Tribble and Maurice Brown grabbed their cross-country ski equipment at the Catamount Family Center in Williston. ... Thin snow cover forced the outdoor-recreation center to close about two-thirds of its trails. ... this winter has been fairly warm and dry. Snowfall has been less than half of normal, and temperatures have been consistently above average, said Eric Evenson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in South Burlington. Those conditions have been affecting outdoor recreation such as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Winter enthusiasts have gotten late starts on their outdoor activities. Some cross-country skiers and snowshoers have ventured farther from the Lake Champlain valley in search of deeper snow. Some winter-sports locales have seen fewer customers.

Winter skating on thin ice An April-like breeze Monday stirred the water of mostly unfrozen Lake Champlain. ... National Weather Service records confirm that this winter has been among the warmest on record. That has been all well and good for those who don't feel like paying steep winter heating bills, but for those with the ice fishing bug, it's been all bad news. Sections of Lake Champlain that usually freeze solid by the end of January are wide open. Ducks are swimming inside Burlington's breakwater. Few people dare set foot on the paper-thin ice on Malletts Bay. ... The culprit is a persistent weather pattern that has steered most arctic air in Canada eastward, away from Vermont. The result was Burlington's second-warmest December on record and a January that apparently will be among the 10 warmest. The high temperature Monday in Burlington was 51 degrees -- not a record, but 25 degrees above normal.

The current cold snap appears to have caused Lake Champlain to completely freeze over,a weather official said Saturday. Federal Aviation Administration pilots flying over the lake reported Saturday that the entire surface of the lake appeared to be covered with ice, said Bob Bell, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in South Burlington. The exceptions were channels kept open by ferries plying the waters between Charlotte and Essex, N.Y., and between Cumberland Head, N.Y., and Grand Isle, he said. "It appeared that the rest of the lake was frozen as of today," Bell said. Last year, the lake did not freeze over. In 2001 it froze on March 2. It did not freeze over between 1997 and 2000. If the cold weather continues, the winter of 2003 will be one of the 10 coldest winters of the century, according to Brooke Taber of the National Weather Service. After three days of frigid temperatures, Saturday night was expected to be the coldest night this year.

Dry year in Vermont shriveled crops, dried wells The dry weather of 2001 brought about changes large and small around Vermont. ... The drought stunted second and third crops of hay around Vermont and it limited snowmaking at ski resorts that hadn't prepared by filling ponds. It dropped the level of Lake Champlain so low -- 93 feet -- that boats ran aground more frequently, hitting ob- stacles that used to be far underwater. Burlington got only a little better than 23 inches, more than 11 inches below normal -- which put 2001 at the fourth-driest ever for Vermont's largest city. Ten of 12 months in 2001 registered less than normal precipitation. ... Homeowners ran out of water when their springs, and then their wells, started drying up in the summer and fall. Many drilled new wells, causing a flurry of business for drilling companies. For a well to run dry is unusual, said Frost -- something he used to see in only one in 100 wells.