EAST HARDWICK – Snowpack depths continue to plummet across the low and mid-level elevations, with little, if any snow in the valleys. Other places, such as Craftsbury, have up to four inches of snow depth at elevations of 1,500 feet. The higher terrain of Greensboro has closer to 12 inches.

photo by Paul Fixx
Tuesday was one of the warmest days of last week, with Montpelier coming in at 67 degrees. This broke the previous record for that day of 60 degrees set back in 1977. It reached 71 in St. Johnsbury, 70 in Morrisville, and 65 in Plainfield on March 10. A total of half an inch to an inch of precipitation fell during the week, with runoff gradually dissipating over the course of the week and limiting a significant flood threat.
The upcoming forecast period commences with an area of high pressure approaching in the wake of a strong storm system in our large-scale pattern. Expect temperatures to be slightly below normal with mostly sunny skies today, giving way to some clouds by tomorrow as a passing frontal boundary leads to some light snow showers by late afternoon.
As we move into Friday, a weak low forming over the Great Lakes looks to bring a few scattered rain or snow showers, before a brief respite on Saturday. Another low-pressure system arrives for Sunday, although some discrepancy exists over the exact low track and timing. For now, an inland track seems plausible given climatology and forecast persistence, so we’ll hold closer to that solution. Just don’t put your shovels away yet, as there may be a few inches of snow on the backside of this system for Monday morning. Any precipitation, however, will be light to moderate. Here are the forecast details:
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High: 27. Low: 15. Calm wind.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Scattered snow showers. High: 37. Low: 24. South wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Mostly cloudy. Scattered rain and snow showers. High: 42. Low: 23. West wind 5-10 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny. High: 35. Low: 20. Light and variable wind.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Rain and snow. High: 37. Low: 18. West wind 5-10 mph.

