powderfreak

It is just absolutely dumping. We've picked up several inches at the mountain, and looks like even out in the valley the very rare ASOS M1/4 visibility +SN. This is true whiteout stuff. METAR KMVL 201330Z AUTO 00000KT M1/4SM +SN FZFG VV007 M03/M05 A2981 METAR KMVL 201325Z AUTO 00000KT M1/4SM +SN FZFG VV006 M03/M05 A2981 KMVL 201324Z AUTO 00000KT 1/4SM +SN FZFG VV006 M03/M05 A2981 RMK AO2 P0000 T10331050

We snow this morning.

Just crushing snow at the mountain this morning. Seems like 2-3” in the base area so far.

Ha it’s almost always uphill traffic. The skinners in the AM take their pick usually.

Nice 1-2” of leaf blower fluff. Wintry appeal. It’s really coming down now though.

Right? They are two totally different metrics. Snowfall is snow that falls from the sky. It can keep on coming for days. Snow depth is what that snowfall settles out to be and is the total amount of frozen water on the ground. One comes from the sky, the other rests on the ground. Snowfall and snow depth are two different metrics.

The change in pattern has been absolutely obscene to be honest. To truly recognize the change, all one has to do is look at the temperature departures. What a call by Ginxy. Take a station like ORH... just ripping off double digit high average departures (daily departures of 15-20+ are nuts)... and then we see sustained negative departures (today also below normal but not shown here). We have seen a pattern change that has resulted in 20-30 degree changes in the means! That is remarkable! Sensibly to the average person, it's a massive change.

28F frozen, dense low-depth snow on the ground. Crusty, high of 37F and dews in the mid-teens keep it from melting too much... but it warmed up. Everything is icy and crunchy here in town now. It's still only 11/19. It isn't time for deep winter. You get tastes of winter but it isn't even Thanksgiving yet. It's closer to autumn right now than it isn't. Mansfield Stake 10" vs. 6" normal. Props to @Ginx snewx, it has been a switch flip from record warmth to below normal temperatures the past 4-6 days at most stations.

Not going to lie, as I get older the sunset time has a direct effect on me. The morning sunrise doesn't seem to matter as much, despite very early mornings (was in the office at the mountain at 5:15am, up at 4:30am this morning) at times. But the late day sunlight really gets me going. Hate early darkness. I feel like so much of the day is wasted. Need to make sure the headlamps are charged to be outside after like 5pm. Pain in the ass. That should be the middle of the day.

Several opening days today in Vermont. Stoke seemed high, far and wide. I still cannot believe that exactly one week ago, we were seeing record highs reach into the low 70s, with the summits getting near 60F. Last Saturday I hiked this hill in shorts and a t-shirt. Today we rode a lift into a winter wonderland. Warm, wet ground, leaves and sticks... to a snowpack that's actually above normal at the Mansfield Stake (not a high bar though, 10" instead of 6"), is one helluva switch flipping to me. With another week of snowmaking coming up (maybe a messy storm late week though?), the VT ski areas should be in a good position heading into the end of November and early December. I got out there after the daily 11am Snow Plan meeting, and by then the early folks had gone home. Crowd was pretty light today, except for the morning lineup of course. But once it flushed out, it was ski on.

Not for the World Cup. That weather would cancel it probably.

Any idea of the LE? Most of the pics look like it’s closer to 10:1 than most lake effect events. Certainly not 30-40:1.

Yeah I forget just how high up that K1 base lodge is. The new one looks awesome.

3,000 verts this time of year is impressive. I thought it was good we were going with 2,100 verts, wow. You can tell how much snow Killington puts into the World Cup as they will still be downloading despite a base elevation of 2,000ft there and many “lesser” snowmaking hills offering top-to-bottom.

Winter vibe this evening on the eve of opening day.

Yesterday the westerly flow streamers dropped about 5” up high and 2-3” down low. Today the SW flow is aimed too far north. We’ve seen snow showers but nothing of note today. Dumping just north of here.

Occasional graupel and snow showers today but no additional accumulation. Wintry appeal though.

Awesome dude! I have to ask, why not put the cars in the garage? Though I might’ve left them out just to see them get buried .

True wintry appeal Currier and Ives type afternoon and evening. Just a persistent -SN floating down. A quarter inch per hour generally, where 8 hours gets you a couple inches. Some better bursts down to 1/2 mile and others flurries at 7-9 miles… but mostly 1-3 mile vis periods of snow. On top of yesterday’s heavy wet stuff, the colder snow is looking pretty festive out there winter-wise. Not deep winter but snow-on-snow, snowy trees, roads, etc. Crazy the turn around from 70s and record highs to winter. Pretty much how you draw it up to avoid days and days of 40s and mank.

Those things love Bennington County. Prime westerly flow streamer country. Same with convection, ha.

3” today at the hill and looks like 1.5” on the back porch that wasn’t there this morning. Fluffy fake snow, great snow growth. Looks fantastic clinging to the wet snow from yesterday.

Just absolutely dumping at the mountain. Picked up a quick 3" of fluff. In the 9-10" range now since the synoptic storm began.

Everyone's favorite time of year... lake effect streamers and upslope. Pounding dendrites in these bands. Picked up about 2" of fluff on the mountain in about the last 3-4hours? This one's streaming nicely into town too.

Snow on the ground, -SHSN in the flood lights… winter.

J- They are from the Weather Hazard Briefing page on the NWS BTV site. Just toggle over to the winter tab and they have a variety of products in there. https://www.weather.gov/btv/EMBriefing