133 FXUS61 KBTV 181859 AFDBTVArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Burlington VT 259 PM EDT Thu Sep 18 2025
.SYNOPSIS...
A cold front will move through the region this evening and tonight bringing some chances of showers although meaningful precipitation is not expected. Breezes behind this front will enhance fire weather concerns for Friday given very dry vegetation and ongoing drought. Frost and a few areas of freezing conditions are possible Friday and Saturday night. Chances of widespread shower chances return late Sunday into early next week.
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.NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...
* Dry and Breezy conditions will create elevated concerns for Fire Weather on Friday.
* Strong cooling Friday and Saturday night will promote the development of frost mainly outside of the Champlain Valley. A freeze watch has been issued for portions of the Adirondacks and northeastern Vermont.
As of 228 PM EDT Thursday...Westerly flow will increase this afternoon ahead of a thermally sharp cold front. While the thermal gradient is tight and will drive some breezes, moisture is very limited across the boundary leading only to 15-40% chances of a shower this evening and overnight as the boundary weakens while it drops through the region. The best chance for a few hundredths of an inch of rain will be on upslope areas of the northern Greens. Winds shift northerly overnight with moderate cold air advection and increased mixing. Gusts will generally be 10 to 20 mph for most location with around 25 mph on portions and adjacent locations of Lake Champlain where terrain channels the flow pattern and on upper mid slopes and ridges. Peaks could gusts in excess of 30 mph at times. While the gradient weakens slightly Friday, mixing increases allowing for widespread gusts 15 to 20 mph and more localized gusts to around 25 mph. These conditions coupled with excessively dry vegetation will promote fire weather concerns. Please, see the fire weather section below for more details.
Temperatures will be trending markedly colder with potential for some freezes in Essex County Vermont and portions of southern Franklin and western Clinton Counties Friday night. Locations outside the Champlain Valley could see lows ranging in the 30s with probable frosts as well.
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.SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... As of 228 PM EDT Thursday...Very dry conditions are anticipated as a dessicated high pressure moves overhead Saturday. Winds are strongly favored to sharply decrease fortunately, so fire spread potential will trend down some from Friday`s more elevated concerns. Temperatures will be quite cooler with highs in the 60s area wide. These conditions will be ideal for radiational cooling Saturday night with another round of frost/freezes for some locations mainly outside the Champlain Valley.
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.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 228 PM EDT Thursday...Winds shift to the south on Sunday, bringing a warming trend that will return temperatures to seasonal normals early next week. High temperatures should reach into the upper 70s while lows remain in the upper 40s for most areas.
Our next potential weather system is forecast to develop across the northern Plains and Great Lakes, swinging into the area by Monday. The disturbance could brings rain into the region Monday night and Tuesday. However, the saying around here goes "when in drought, leave it out". That seems like a good bet now with the expectation of less than a quarter inch of widespread precipitation. Forecast timing remains uncertain with this system, as ensemble spread has not come into focus. In general, ECMWF ensembles show a wetter solution while the GFS ensembles have more of a blocking pattern inhibiting precipitation.
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.AVIATION /19Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... VFR conditions will persist through the day today at all terminals, with winds gusting into the teens at MSS. A weak front comes through tonight, dropping ceilings into MVFR territory starting around 03z. Light showers are possible as the front passes over, with EFK looking to have the highest chances. Either way, showers will be light and impacts will be limited. The low clouds overnight combined with stronger flow just off the deck will limit any fog development overnight. Clouds will begin to move out around 15z tomorrow, leaving VFR conditions for most of the day. &&
.MARINE...
Outlook...
Friday Night: VFR. Patchy frost. Saturday: VFR. NO SIG WX. Saturday Night: VFR. Patchy frost. Sunday: VFR. NO SIG WX. Sunday Night: VFR. NO SIG WX. Monday: Mainly VFR, with local MVFR possible. Slight chance SHRA. Monday Night: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. Chance SHRA. Tuesday: Mainly MVFR, with local IFR possible. Chance SHRA.
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.FIRE WEATHER... Considering our period of very prolonged dryness, there will be some fire weather concerns mainly Friday and to a lesser extent on Saturday. First, breezy northerly winds behind Thursday night`s mostly dry cold front Friday will be gusting 15-20mph in general with around 25mph near Lake Champlain and along exposed mid/upper slopes. Minimum RH will generally range 30-50% with lowest RH occurring in lower Valleys while temperatures run cooler than seasonal average. Poor humidity recoveries anticipated on Friday night across the midslopes and ridges. Very dry conditions (min RH widespread 20-35%) develop for Saturday while high pressure builds overhead; winds will drop substantially becoming light. Fortunately, winds and driest conditions do not phase while the vast majority of leaves remain on trees. Still, given recent drought conditions, it will be prudent to limit any chances of sparks to avoid accidental fire starts.
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.BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...Freeze Watch from late Friday night through Saturday morning for VTZ004. NY...Freeze Watch from late Friday night through Saturday morning for NYZ030-031.
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$$ SYNOPSIS...Boyd NEAR TERM...Boyd SHORT TERM...Boyd LONG TERM...Langbauer AVIATION...Langbauer FIRE WEATHER...Team BTV
NWS BTV Office Area Forecast Discussion