Freezing Rain in Burlington Vermont area

We frequently have freezing rain during the winter time up north. Freezing Rain is a type of precipitation that begins as snow at higher altitude, falling from a cloud towards earth, melts completely on its way down while passing through a layer of air above freezing temperature, and then encounters a layer below freezing at lower level to become supercooled. This water will then freeze upon impact of any object it then encounters. The ice can accumulate to a thickness of several centimetres, called glaze ice.

Usually freezing rain is associated with the approach of a warm front when cold air, at or below freezing temperature, is trapped in the lower levels of the atmosphere as warmth streams in aloft. This happens, for instance, when a low pressure system moves from the Mississippi River Valley toward the Appalachian mountains and the Saint Lawrence River Valley of North America, in the cold season, and there is a strong high pressure system sitting further East. The warm air from the Gulf of Mexico is often the fuel for freezing precipitation. The warm air is then forced aloft where it dramatically alters the temperature in the middle layer, around 800 mbar (800 hPa). If the advection is strong enough to warm a thin layer several degrees above 0 °C for a brief period or a larger one slightly above 0 °C for a long period, the falling snow into this layer will melt and become rain droplets. These will freeze on contact when they hit the ground, which is still at or below 0 °C.

Weather Jan 30 - Feb 1: Bare Ground & 40; 10 inches of snow; rain, sleet On January 30th the temperature in Burlington Vermont rose to 40 degress and the much of the ground was bare-thawing ground. But that changed, as reported by the Burlington Free Press: A statewide snowstorm snarled traffic Thursday and threatened to make matters worse with ice for this morning's commute. Six to 10 inches of snow were forecast by early this morning, when sleet and freezing rain were expected to develop, National Weather Service forecasters said. Sleet, ice or rain is expected to continue until this evening before colder weather, wind and snow flurries announce the storm's departure tonight. A parking ban went into effect Thursday in all of Burlington and was to remain in place today. The ban means no parking along city streets or in municipal parking lots between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Violators face towing and a $75 parking ticket.

The Winter's First Big Snow Storm Turns To Ice 2-Feb-2002 -- What started out as a big snow storm Thursday night turned into a troublesome ice storm by Friday morning. Although the combination of the two left a mess on the roads and caused flooding and power outages, it was nowhere near as bad as the ice storm of 1998 -- an event that still overshadows any comparison. Power outages kept electric crews busy through the day. An electrical outage on North Williston road closed the link between Williston and Essex until a line crew fixed the problem. ... GMP says more than three-thousand customers were left without power throughout the region. In Burlington the ice brought down a line over Pearl street, closing it to traffic during Friday morning rush hour. Police and firefighters stood by until the Burlington Electric Dept. fixed the problem. After hours of freezing rain, rising temperatures melted the snow and ice cover, causing flooding in several locations. ^popular

The snow and ice were bound to make almost anyone testy, especially the motorists who found themselves spinning helplessly on hills, engulfed in roadside snowbanks or upside down in medians after sliding off treacherous roads. State highway dispatcher Ray Burke said there were many such drivers, but he'd lost count. He had no reports of serious injuries. By 6 p.m., 3 inches of new snow had accumulated in Burlington, with as much as 7 inches of snow and ice forecast for the city. Six inches fell in some central Vermont mountain areas by late afternoon. Sleet and freezing rain was working its way north across the state as darkness fell. ... People like Botala who'd rather see spring have hope. Forecaster said the storm would dwindle to a few cold raindrops or damp snowflakes before dawn today. The commute to work this morning will be much better than the trip home Tuesday night, Burke promised. Predicted afternoon temperatures near or above 40 degrees for the rest of the week will also melt the snow.

The weekend Nor'Easter saved its best for last, dumping heavy snow across Vermont and New York late Sunday night into Monday morning. 4-8" of snow has already fallen as of early Monday morning, and an additional 2-6" is on the way before the snow departs the area from west to east as Monday progresses. That means storm totals will range from 6-12", with a few higher totals certainly possible. Several inches of snow fell Saturday night and Sunday, followed by a period of sleet and freezing rain. The heaviest snow developed Sunday night, and will wind down during the day Monday, with the Green Mountains the last place to see the snow shut off. Many area schools are closed or delayed Monday, and travel will remain difficult this morning. Police advise you to reduce your speed on the roads, and increase your following distance between your car and the one in front of you. Click here to read more.

Vermont's first snow storm packed a mix of snow and freezing rain that sent cars sliding Sunday while utility crews scrambled to restore electricity for thousands of people who lost power throughout New England and upstate New York as ice-laden tree limbs crashed down on power lines. Snow and rain fell on parts of Vermont on Saturday night and early Sunday and Green Mountain Power, the state's second-largest utility, prepared for outages Sunday night. GMP called in crews from neighboring states. ... Today's forecast for the Burlington area calls for snow this morning with an additional 2 to 4 inches accumulating. The snow will taper off in the afternoon with temperatures in the mid 30s. and brisk winds up to 30 mph. Snow showers are predicted Tuesday through Thursday. ... The storm was expected to dump up to eight inches of snow over Sunday night

The season's first winter storm deposited so much snow so fast on the state's roads Monday morning that crews had a hard time keeping up. "Heart attack snow," Dick Hosking, the District 5 administrator for the state Transportation Agency, called the wet, heavy snow. Snowfall intensified from about 3:30 a.m. to 7 a.m., according to the National Weather Service in South Burlington. The dense snow quickly piled up and began to freeze as it hit pavement, Hosking said. Morning traffic compacted the snow further making it even more icy, Burlington Public Works director Steve Goodkind said. The freezing snow even seemed to be soaking up the snow as it fell. Burlington road crews had prepared for freezing rain, and light accumulation, Goodkind said. ... As of 12:30 p.m. Monday, snowfall ranged between 2 and almost 12 inches across the state, according to the National Weather Service. Westford had 11.5 inches, while nine inches fell in Smugglers Notch. In Burlington, 11 inches had fallen in two days.

The Burlington area could get between 10 and 16 inches, while southern Vermont can expect 14 to 20 inches when the snow stops falling, said Brooke Taber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in South Burlington. Northern Vermont is farther from the source of the moisture and is expected to see 6-10 inches, Taber said. Forecasts initially predicted the snow would miss much of northwestern Vermont, but the storm's track Friday was farther north than originally expected, Taber said. Winds could pick up this afternoon, causing blowing and drifting snow. The Vermont snow was part of a powerful storm moving up the East Coast dumped a dangerous mix of freezing rain and snow across much of the Northeast on Friday, snarling traffic and giving thousands of schoolchildren an early start on the weekend. The nor'easter -- characterized by northeast winds of 15 mph to 20 mph -- was expected to bring up to 2 feet of snow....

December's is third snowiest month in more than 120 years. 30,000 Vermonters awoke in cold houses Thursday, their electricity knocked out and their cars mired in snow and encrusted in ice following this month's fourth monster storm. Freezing rain, rain, street flooding, wet snow, wind and even thunder characterized the storm. The combination of rain and soggy snow compacted into stubborn layers of ice that thwarted repeated efforts by plow truck drivers to clear highways. One spin-out on Interstate 89 in South Burlington on Thursday morning sent a Cabot woman to the hospital. The storm that ended Thursday dumped 10.2 inches of snow at the National Weather Service in South Burlington. Since Dec. 6, Vermont has also experienced two large snowstorms and one drenching rainfall. In Burlington, 48.5 inches of snow has fallen so far in December making it the third snowiest month in more than 120 years of records at the National Weather Service in South Burlington. The top three snowiest months were all in December -- 1970, 1969 and 2003.