HARDWICK – Rapidly fluctuating conditions opened the week and look to persist through the upcoming forecast period. Multiple rounds of snow showers marched through the northeast throughout last week, leaving up to four inches of snow with each burst.

East Hardwick’s low on Sunday morning was -23⁰F, with Hardwick reaching -21⁰F just above the Jackson Dam. It got as low as -16⁰F on the Common in Craftsbury. The conditions were a result of skies clearing and northwest winds ushering in a polar airmass on Saturday night. This led to rapid radiational cooling on the new snowpack. The previously forecast single-digit below zero numbers were reached well before midnight.
Then, warm air again nosed in by mid-Monday, with multiple inches of snow falling along the frontal boundary. As another wave of precipitation advanced along the front, multiple precipitation types fell from the complex layering of warm and cold temperatures. Temperatures had risen some 50 to 55 degrees in 36 hours.
We continue to wobble between colder polar and warmer tropical airmasses throughout the upcoming week, with our start on the cold side that begins to recede with another wave of low pressure set to arrive by mid-Thursday. This will bring a mostly snow event with a chance of sleet or freezing rain briefly mixed in. Several inches of snow are likely by the time the low exits Friday morning. A dome of high pressure builds in for the rest of Friday and Saturday with a return to cold weather.
More moisture gets wrapped into a wave that moves through the Ohio Valley and Adirondacks Saturday night. It redevelops off the coast by midday Sunday. It will be fast-moving with a robust band of morning snow as warm air again noses north, so several inches of snow are possible. More snow will fall as the energy transitions to the coast and the snow-liquid ratios increase. Temperatures will be near-normal with the arrival of the weekend snowfall. Here are the forecast details:
Wednesday: Partly sunny. High: 19. Low: -3.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Snow likely, especially during the afternoon. Some sleet or freezing rain mix possible. Snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches. High: 31. Low: 19.
Friday: A mix of sun and clouds. Scattered snow showers, especially in the morning. Additional accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. High: 24. Low: 5.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with increasing clouds late. High: 22. Low: 8.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Snow likely. Snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches. High: 28. Low: 7.
Tyler is our weather reporter and a community journalist. He works as a nurse and EMT, volunteers with Hardwick Rescue and helps to train new EMTs.