884 FXUS61 KBTV 171802 AFDBTVArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Burlington VT 202 PM EDT Wed Sep 17 2025
.SYNOPSIS...
High pressure today gives way to mostly dry cold front dropping out of Canada late Thursday and Thursday night. While a few showers are possible, measurable rainfall is not guaranteed with most locations expected to see nothing. Temperatures will be quite cooler Friday mainly in the 60s, running about 15 degrees lower than Thursday`s highs. A more widespread frost is probable for locations outside of the immediate Champlain Valley this weekend with some freezes for higher elevations.&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... As of 119 PM EDT Wednesday...Pervasive dryness continues as a weak wave over the mid Atlantic streams high clouds across the Northeast. These clouds have tamped down high temperatures marginally keeping highs pleasantly in the 70s. Winds begin to increase out of the south turning westerly Thursday as a cold front approaches the region. This front will squeeze a few showers out as it drops southward out of Canada, but amounts will be very anemic given the boundary will begin decaying rapidly as it moves into a very dry airmass. Mainly upslope locations along the northern Greens and Adirondacks will only see up to a few hundredths, but most locations will receive little to nothing. Winds on Lake Champlain and over higher terrain will rise Thursday night as cold air advection picks up. Based off of conceptual models, it`s feasible that gusts 20-30mph occur over and adjacent to Lake Champlain, but model profiles have been capping gusts 15-20 mph for most spots. As we move more into the window for higher resolution guidance, we`ll be able to fine tune the winds further.
&&
.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... As of 119 PM EDT Wednesday... Breezy northern flow continues Friday with gusts generally 15-25mph in the morning. Coupled with RH in the 30-40% range, some very marginal fire weather concerns will be present; please, see the Fire Weather Discussion below. Temperatures will be noticeably cooler Friday with highs generally in the 60s compared to mid/upper 70s on Thursday. Winds will drop through the day likely decoupling and going calm for most locations overnight. With moderate cold air advection and high pressure building overhead, temperatures will be dropping sharply. Widespread lows in the 30s to around 40 degrees are probable with typically colder areas dipping into the upper 20s to around 30 degrees, and coldest hollows dropping to the mid 20s.
&&
.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... As of 119 PM EDT Wednesday...High pressure will remain the dominant weather feature through the weekend. Very dry airmass will be in place Saturday, leading to relative humidity values as low as 20 to 25 percent. Winds will be light though. This combined with the light winds will provide another optimal set up for radiational cooling Saturday night, and expect there will patchy frost away from Lake Champlain, with freezing temperatures possible in the cold hollows of the Adirondacks and Northeast Kingdom. Ridging shifts eastward for early next week, and expect south flow and warming temperatures to develop as it does so. After Saturday`s daytime highs in the 60s, expect Sunday to be around 10 degrees warmer. An upper shortwave tries to ride along the top of the ridge as we head into the work week, but bulk of the forcing will remain to our northwest and any precipitation chances likewise mainly across far northwestern NY. Better chances for showers arrive Tuesday/Tuesday night as a stronger system pushes into the Great Lakes. Have stayed with NBM`s 15-40 percent PoPs for now as there`s still model differences in timing and strength of incoming system. Even should we get showers though, they`ll be riding into a dry airmass, and note that probabilities of 24-hr rainfall totals greater than a quarter inch only top out 25 to 30 percent. Therefore, don`t see any drought relief through at least mid week next week.
&&
.AVIATION /17Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Through 18z Thursday...Other than local IFR/LIFR at KMPV in another round of early morning fog, VFR will prevail through the TAF period. Mid/high clouds will remain SCT-BKN through about 06z Thu before skies again trend clear. Given tonight`s cloud cover and an expected 20 kt LLJ, fog at KMPV shouldn`t be as prevalent as the past couple of mornings and have continued to use a TEMPO group for 09z-13z.
Outlook...
Thursday Night: Mainly VFR, with local MVFR possible. Chance SHRA. Friday: VFR. NO SIG WX. Friday Night: VFR. NO SIG WX. Saturday: VFR. NO SIG WX. Saturday Night: VFR. NO SIG WX. Sunday: VFR. NO SIG WX. Sunday Night: VFR. NO SIG WX. Monday: VFR. Slight chance SHRA.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER... Considering our period of very prolonged dryness, there will be some very marginal fire weather concerns Friday and 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 30-40% with temperatures running cooler than seasonal average. Then, 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. This will keep concerns tamped down since carrying fuels are currently sparse. Still, given recent drought conditions, it will be prudent to limit any chances of sparks to avoid accidental fire starts.
&&
.BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...None. NY...None.
&&
$$ SYNOPSIS...Boyd NEAR TERM...Boyd SHORT TERM...Boyd LONG TERM...Hastings AVIATION...Hastings FIRE WEATHER...Team BTV
NWS BTV Office Area Forecast Discussion