EAST HARDWICK – Not having a thaw during the winter last year felt like an anomaly. It turns out that was true. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen several rounds of brief warm-ups causing precipitation to turn to rain. One episode of that came just before 2026, when we experienced some freezing rain that caused scattered power outages and slippery roads. Ice accumulations varied from half an inch in Walden to an eighth of an inch in Hardwick Village and East Craftsbury. Cabot reported three-eighths of an inch before temperatures rose above freezing. A second warm-up around January 8-10 brought another quarter inch of rain as temperatures neared 40.
None of the warm-ups created huge changes in the snowpack. Some melting did occur, but several episodes of light accumulating snow in between, minimized the overall impact. Many observation stations continue to report snow depths of at least eight inches, with upwards of one to two feet in the intermediate hills.
An upper-level trough and approaching surface cold front sets up over the Great Lakes on Wednesday, bringing a chance of some light snow showers, although a few drops of rain may mix in during the afternoon as temperatures warm above freezing. The trough deepens and closes off as it approaches the northeast on Wednesday night and Thursday, causing a surface low to form somewhere near the upper-Hudson region, bringing some light snow as temperatures cool and winds gust from the northwest. The rapid drop in temperatures overnight on Wednesday could make for some very slippery travel Thursday morning. That low exits Thursday evening, but a few lingering snow showers and some frigid wind chills remain.
Friday will feature weak ridging and brief influence from milder air again by Saturday, although another upper-level disturbance brings in more clouds and some light snow as the weekend progresses. No big snowfall events to mention, but enough snow falls to refresh what is already on the ground. Here are the forecast details:
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. Scattered rain or snow showers. High: 38. Low: 17. South wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Light snow likely. Snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches. High: 27. Low: -3. West wind 10-15 mph with gusts to 20 mph, decreasing to 5-10 mph by evening. Wind chill values as low as -16.
Friday: Mostly sunny. High: 18. Low: 10. West wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with increasing clouds by afternoon. Isolated snow showers in the afternoon. High: 30. Low: 14. South wind 5-10 mph.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Light snow likely. High: 25. Low: 4. West wind around 5 mph in the afternoon.
photo by Dawn Gustafson
