Good day to you, hearty southern Vermonters! This week you are going to need to dig deep for that inherent brand of Vermont heartiness as we will all have to stand up to a legitimately major Arctic outbreak on Thanksgiving Day.
Having said that, allow me to put this report into reverse and cover the days leading up to (and after) this week's major holiday.
For Tuesday, low pressure tracking south of Long Island will bring a period of light accumulating snow that will end by the afternoon. A cold front moves through to produce a cold but fair Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Then we'll see a strong front will bring the chance for heavy snow squalls Wednesday night which will usher in a brutally cold 36-hour period, including Thanksgiving Day, when highs won't even reach 20 degrees! Having laid the broad brush strokes, let's paint in the daily details.
For Tuesday, we should wake up to a period of light snowfall that will produce a coating to as much as 2-3” of snow by the afternoon. Expect highs in the low 30s under mostly cloudy skies, and lows in the mid to upper teens as we start to clear and dry things out.
For Wednesday, we're watching another very strong cold front that is set to usher in the coldest air of the incoming winter season. Expect highs to reach the upper 20s to low 30s under partly sunny skies before we cloud up later in the day.
As the front approaches, snow showers and squalls are expected to pass through the region. This could briefly impact holiday travel Wednesday evening, as visibilities may be lowered dramatically and a quick coating to an inch may be deposited on road surfaces as lows truly plummet into the single digits!
For Thanksgiving Day, do not expect to engage in a lot of outdoor plans. This will be a day to appreciate not only family, friends, and food, but just how much of a blessing it is to have heated shelter and a warm bed in which to sleep.
It will be mostly sunny, but highs on Thursday will only be in the teens. When you add in gusty northwesterly winds, wind chills may even dip to near or just below zero! Lows will be in the single digits. In other words, layer up this holiday.
For the period of Friday through Sunday, we will be cold, but will slowly increase our temperatures under partly to mostly sunny skies.
Highs on Friday will be in the 20s with lows in the teens, whereas on Saturday, highs will be well into the 30s with lows in the 20s, and we can expect similar temperatures and conditions on Sunday, by which time more inclement weather may be visiting us.
However, once we reach early the week of Nov. 26, there are (as of this writing) signs of a major coastal storm, and it could be in the form of a snow or ice storm, so that's something to keep an eye on.
I hope you have a great week and a wonderful Thanksgiving! For those who read this column week to week, I am very thankful for your readership and attention.