048
FXUS61 KBTV 221735
AFDBTV
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Burlington VT
1235 PM EST Thu Jan 22 2026
.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
As of 415 AM EST Thursday...Increased wind gusts today as model
soundings indicate deep mixed layers and steep lapse rates that
have the potential to bring us wind gusts 30-40 knots or
higher. Also adjusted temperatures Friday night slightly with
the latest MOS guidance, we still anticipate lows exclusively
below zero F and wind chills -20 to -40 F Friday night-Saturday
morning.
&&
.KEY MESSAGES...
As of 213 AM EST Thursday...
1. Rounds of lake effect snow and scattered snow squalls are
expected today and tomorrow. Gusty winds, heavy snowfall, and
rapid snow accumulation will make for hazardous travel,
including for the Thursday evening and Friday morning commutes.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for southeastern st.
Lawrence County today into tomorrow.
2. Dangerously cold conditions are increasingly likely late this
week, with wind chills of -20F to -40F possible. An Extreme Cold
Watch is in effect for Friday night and Saturday morning.
3. Widespread Snow Increasing Likely Sunday Night into Monday.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
As of 213 AM EST Thursday...
.KEY MESSAGE 1: Rounds of lake effect snow and scattered snow
squalls are expected today and tomorrow. Gusty winds, heavy
snowfall, and rapid snow accumulation will make for hazardous
travel, including for the Thursday evening and Friday morning
commutes. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for
southeastern st. Lawrence County today into tomorrow.
Low pressure currently located just north and east of Lake Superior
early this morning will move northeastward throughout the day today,
dragging a warm front and then a cold front through northern New
York and Vermont in quick succession. We anticipate scattered snow
showers, particularly along a lake effect band off Lake Ontario, to
occur today into tomorrow. Models continue to indicate steep low
level lapse rates as cold air flows into the region aloft, likely
resulting in efficient atmospheric mixing throughout the day today.
850mb level jet continues to look strong around 45-55 knots that
could mix down to the surface, and surface-based CAPE values run
around 50-100 J/kg throughout the afternoon. Snowfall rates could
exceed 1 in/hr briefly with these squalls, reducing visibility to
1/2 mile or less. This will be especially true downwind of Lake
Ontario which will help to enhance moisture and instability in a
lake effect band that will produce on and off heavy snow in
southeastern St. Lawrence County.
Gusty winds of 30 to 40 mph will blow around falling snow as well as
any freshly fallen snow and make travel hazardous. Anyone traveling
today or tomorrow, including during the evening and tomorrow morning
commutes, should be prepared for highly variable road conditions,
with sharply reduced visibility, gusty winds, and snow-covered roads
with little warning in squalls. Flash freeze, however, is not
anticipated with these snow squalls. Areas in southeastern St.
Lawrence County will see the most in terms of overall accumulations
with 3 to 7 inches as snow is expected to continue on and off
overnight tonight, and higher accumulations are possible around Star
Lake to Horseshoe Lake. Elsewhere, snow accumulations will be only a
dusting to a couple inches through tomorrow.
.KEY MESSAGE 2:Dangerously cold conditions are increasingly likely
late this week, with wind chills of -20F to -40F possible. An
Extreme Cold Watch is in effect for Friday night and Saturday
morning.
An arctic cold front is expected to cross the region on Friday,
ushering us into cold air advection with northwesterly winds
gusting as high as 20-40 knots both Friday into Friday evening.
We anticipate 925mb level temperatures crashing into the -25 to
-31 C range Friday night, resulting in temperatures at the
surface falling into the 0 to -20 F range by early Saturday
morning and wind chills as low as 15 to 35 degrees below zero.
Coldest conditions are expected across the Adirondacks and at
highest elevations of the Greens. Although some of our area may
not reach Extreme Cold Warning criteria (-30F), it will be
dangerously cold for anyone who might be outdoors Friday evening
through Saturday morning. If you are unable to avoid being
outside, make sure to wear plenty of warm clothing, including
hats and mittens or gloves. And don`t forget about your pets;
bring them inside if able. If not, make sure they have adequate
shelter from the cold.
While Saturday night will also be very cold with lows in the 0 to
negative 20 range as well, we are lacking the wind component for
similar brutal wind chills as high pressure moves overhead. A
powerful nor`easter will develop on Sunday and track up the eastern
seaboard, potentially sending some overshooting clouds to cover the
forecast area Saturday night, which may also limit how cold we get
with regular lows. Additional cold weather headlines might be
needed, but confidence remains low.
KEY MESSAGE 3: Widespread Snow Increasingly Likely Sunday Night
into Monday.
A deepening coastal low will track through the Mid-Atlantic Sunday
into Sunday night and then somewhat up the East Coast into Monday.
Our weekend cold maker 1040mb high looks to keep the low from
truly riding up the coastline, but the precipitation shield
with this particular system is uncharacteristically wide,
extending several hundred miles to the north into New England.
Recent trends have continued to suggest a stronger system with
several northward jogs pushing more widespread snowfall into
much of the region. The most likely solution is that the
heaviest snow stays to our south, however, near or at advisory
level snowfall amounts appear likely. NBM probabilities have
increased northward with probabilities of 4 inches of snow up to
at least 50% for the entire region, and up to 70-80% for the
southern regions of the area. Furthermore, probabilities for 8
inches or greater have come up 10-20% to a range of 30-50% along
the central and southern spine of the Greens, southern Vermont,
and around the High Peaks of the Adirondacks. While it will be
difficult initially to see any snowfall with a dominating dry
1040mb high preceding the system, a stronger low solution will
help to erode that air mass faster with recent trends. One
additional note is that ensembles have slowed the system with an
arrival later into Sunday night with snow showers lingering
perhaps into midday Monday across central and southern Vermont.
Areas in New York, especially the northern St. Lawrence Valley
will see snow taper off the quickest, and hence will likely see
the least snow from this system. All said, an impactful more
typical winter system from what we have seen this season is
looking increasingly likely to start next week. Current 48 hour
NBM snowfall thresholds using 15- 20:1 snow ratios are as
follows:
Southern Areas:
2" 70-90%
6" 50-70%
12" 20-30%
Northern Areas:
2" 55-75%
6" 30-50%
12" 10-20%
&&
.AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
Through 18Z Friday...Very challenging aviation with quickly
changeable conditions thru 00z this evening associated with snow
showers and embedded heavier snow squalls. Current conditions
range from LIFR/IFR at SLK/BTV to VFR at PBG/RUT/MSS/MPV with
radar showing scattered snow shower activity. I have utilized
2 to 3 hour tempo groups for brief 15 to 20 minutes of IFR or
lower conditions associated with multiple rounds of snow showers
thru 21Z/22Z this aftn. Additional snow showers will impact SLK
again toward 00z this evening with more IFR or lower conditions
likely. Also, gusty south/southwest winds of 15 to 30 knots will
create areas of blowing and drifting snow, especially at SLK/MSS
and EFK thru this evening. Conditions slowly trend toward VFR in
the valleys and MVFR/VFR in the mountain taf sites by 06z
tonight. More scattered snow showers are likely again on Friday
associated with an arctic boundary.
Outlook...
Friday Night: VFR. Slight chance SHSN.
Saturday: VFR. NO SIG WX.
Saturday Night: VFR. NO SIG WX.
Sunday: VFR. Chance SN.
Sunday Night: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR and IFR possible.
Definite SN.
Monday: Mainly MVFR and IFR, with areas VFR possible. Likely SN.
Monday Night: VFR. Chance SN.
Tuesday: VFR. NO SIG WX.
&&
.CLIMATE...
Record low maximum temperatures are possible on Saturday; below
are the current records:
KBTV (Burlington area): -4 in 1907
KPBG (Plattsburgh area): 0 in 1976
KSLK (Saranac Lake area): -10 in 1936
KMSS (Massena): -5 in 2004
KMPV (Montpelier): 0 in 2004
SJBV1 (St. Johnsbury): -3 in 1907
&&
.EQUIPMENT...
NOAA Weather Radio station WXM-44, transmitting from Mt.
Ascutney, Vermont, on frequency 162.475 MHz is non-operational
at this time. NWS technicians have diagnosed the problem, but
repairs will likely not be able to occur for quite some time due
to circumstances beyond our control. Therefore, the time of
return to service is currently unknown. The following NOAA
Weather Radio transmitters may be able to provide service during
this outage: WWG 50 from Burke Mtn, VT at 162.425 MHz and WNG
546 from Hanover, NH at 162.525 MHz.
The Colchester Reef meteorological station is out of service.
This site is not serviced by the NWS and there isn`t an
estimated return to service at present. Use extra caution when
navigating the broad waters of Lake Champlain. Please contact us
if you observe winds significantly deviating from the
recreational forecast.
&&
.BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
VT...Extreme Cold Warning from 7 PM Friday to 1 PM EST Saturday for
VTZ001>011-016>021.
Winter Storm Watch from Sunday afternoon through late Monday
night for VTZ011-019>021.
NY...Extreme Cold Warning from 7 PM Friday to 1 PM EST Saturday for
NYZ026>031-034-035-087.
Winter Weather Advisory until 7 PM EST Friday for NYZ029.
&&
$$
DISCUSSION...Danzig/Storm
AVIATION...Taber
CLIMATE...NWS BTV
EQUIPMENT...NWS BTV
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