Vermonters may see slippery roads and some snowfall Thursday morning. The National Weather Service in Burlington has issued a winter weather advisory across Vermont from Wednesday evening, Nov. 8 to Thursday morning, Nov. 9. It's quickly becoming cold and breezy out, with temperatures dropping to the 30s due to a cold front.
Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for all of northern NY and VT from later tonight through the morning hours on Thursday. While accumulations will be light, plan on slippery conditions, which will likely affect Thursday morning's commute. pic.twitter.com/C83swKVv27
— NWS Burlington (@NWSBurlington) November 8, 2023
Snow accumulation will be light, but Vermonters can expect mixed precipitation, which can create hazardous conditions for travel Thursday morning.
"So right around 7 a.m. into 10 a.m. we'll quickly see stuff transition to freezing rain across much of Vermont...we kind of expect anywhere between a glaze of ice up to a quarter inch of ice and that can create hazardous travel conditions," Robert Haynes, with the National Weather Service in Burlington, says.
Haynes says there is a bit of wiggle room on when the worst of the freezing rain will appear Thursday morning, and he says the weather pattern will likely move out of the region by mid to late afternoon.
With this start to winter weather for the year, we're including tips and guidance for what to do during power outages and dangerous temperatures.
Some generator guidelines
For those who do lose power, here's a little generator 101 from Jim Brochhausen, who owns Brook Field Service in Northfield. He says if you have an automatic standby generator, these are some things to keep in mind:
- Make sure your fuel tanks are full. If you run out of fuel and need an emergency delivery, particularly if it comes on a Sunday, that can be very expensive. And if there are trees down, fuel trucks might not make it to your house.
- It's a good idea to test your generator. On a nice day, just turn it on and make sure it's ready to go. If you have an issue, don't wait for the power outage to call your generator service company.
- If the battery in your generator dies, do not try to jumpstart it like you would a car.
- Have a professional service your generator at least once a year.
If you have a gasoline-powered portable generator, Brochhausen has these tips:
- Safety first: make sure you never run the generator inside, even if it's in a garage with the door open. Carbon monoxide is very deadly. Instead, run it outside, 10 feet away from windows and doors, with the exhaust pointed away from the building.
- It’s important that the house has a manual transfer switch so the generator doesn’t back feed to the power grid. Some folks try to take shortcuts, which can be dangerous, particularly for line workers who are working to get power back on in your neighborhood.
- Do not use ethanol gasoline in portable generators. They're small engines, and they need to run on premium gas; ethanol will ruin the generator over time. Plan ahead to address your fuel needs during a power outage.
With any kind of generator, try to be conservative with your electricity use when it’s on.
Other resources
- Keep up-to-date on weather forecasts with theEye on the Skyfrom the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium.
- Here's a list of warming shelters from Vermont 211.
- You can find a statewide power outage map here.
- Traffic and road conditions are listed on New England 511.
- The Department of Public Safety's Vermont Emergency management has tips for power outages, such as checking on older neighbors, never touching downed or damaged powerlines, having flashlights, a crank radio and extra batteries on hand, making sure your carbon monoxide detectors work and filling your bathtub with water to have as spare for flushing toilets and washing (though not for drinking!).
Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.
