Vermonters dig out, thousands ski on fresh feet of new snow, 12th highest snowstorm in Burlington, Vt. history, 5th highest in March

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3/13/14, "Vermonters dig out and ski on fresh feet of snow," burlingtonfreepress.com

Hwy, 189, Burlington Free Press

"March has come in like a lion, leaving more than a foot of snow across Vermont in Wednesday’s storm....The Burlington area saw about 18.6 inches in what has been described as one of the largest storms in the city’s history. Snowfall totals were highest in Sharon, which received 26 inches. Bethel and East Roxbury were close behind with 25 and 24 inches, respectively.

The rapidly falling snow finally began to waver Thursday, after a night of powder dropping at a rate of 1-2 inches per hour. 

Chapin Spencer, director of Burlington’s Public Works Department, said the department’s team worked through Wednesday night and Thursday, putting in 12- to 16-hour days to ensure the public could keep moving....

As a result of the storm, schools were closed across the state and officials warned of poor driving conditions....

Police also responded to Smuggler’s Notch Wednesday, where skier Matt Harrison, 40, of Salisbury, N.H., called for help at about 5:25 p.m. after going out of bounds off the Madonna Lift. He was found uninjured at about 8:30 p.m., according to police.

Celebrating the snow day

Steve Clokey, director of marketing and promotion for Smuggler’s Notch, said Thursday afternoon, “We’re having a great day.”

About two feet of snow fell at the mountain, which brought in skiers celebrating snow days and Canadians, visiting for their March break.


All of the terrain was open and Clokey said there were many happy people taking advantage of the deep powder....

The road leading to the resort was in good condition, Clokey said, adding he hadn’t seen snowbanks as high as they were Thursday in years. He guessed the piles reach 13 to 15 feet high.

The “light champagne” powder, as Clokey described it, was likely to make for a great set up for St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The resort had been considering ending its ski season in the middle of April, but Clokely said it could stay open for another week.

Jay Peak measured 27 inches of new snow, said J.J. Toland, director of communications. That much fresh powder brought droves of skiers and riders to the resort.

“We had over 4,000 people show up,” Toland said.

Thanks to visitors’ staggered arrivals, lines stayed short. Toland said there were die-hard fans who came bright and early while others driving in from Chittenden County were a bit later. Even the busiest of lift lines created only a five to 10 minute wait....

More cold to come

About 18.6 inches fell at the National Weather Service’s South Burlington office, the agency reported Thursday. Other areas around the state received even more accumulation, with 24 inches covering East Roxbury and 26 in Sharon.

National Weather Service meteorologist Kimberly McMahon explained the snow came to the area thanks to a low pressure system moving from the New York City and New Jersey area, across the Long Island Sound and to the southern tip of Nova Scotia. The storm system strengthened overnight and brought with it wind and quickly falling snow.

A Weather Channel meteorologist said on Twitter Thursday this storm’s accumulation made it the 12th highest snowstorm in Burlington history, the fifth highest in March.

The storm started a bit slower than expected but snowfall predictions proved accurate, said. McMahon. Some areas saw higher winds than anticipated, reaching 30-35 miles per hour.

Snowfall totals have been above average so far this month, McMahon said, while temperatures have been below normal.

The average temperature for the first 12 days of March was about 18.8 degrees at the Weather Service in South Burlington, which is about 8 degrees below normal, McMahon said.

The coldest day in March 2013 was 8 degrees, while this year the coldest was a bitter 7 degrees below zero, according to the National Weather Service.

McMahon said temperatures this winter have stayed below average: temperatures from December to February averaged about 1 to 4 degrees below normal.

“It’s just been a cold winter” she said....

The Champlain Valley could see low- to mid-20s Sunday, teens in the higher elevations. Sunday night will bring another chill, with higher elevations potentially seeing below zero temperatures once again before a possible warm-up next week.

The normal temperature range for this time of year is 20-38 degrees." image above, Burlington Free Press, March 12, 2014, Highway 189.

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Two feet of new snow in Killington, Vermont:

3/14/14, "Killington.com"

"Winter Storm Vulcan may not have been welcome everywhere but here in Killington we sure are happy to have the full 2 feet of snow that Vulcan dropped."... 


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