Power Outage in Bennington, VT

U.S. Route 7 in Dorset was closed from Frost Road to Bowen Hill Road due to trees down on powerlines.

Vermont Route 7a was closed near Town Line Road in Shaftsbury due to a tree down on powerlines.

Vermont Route 30 in Manchester was closed from Pig Pen Road to Mount Aeolus Drive due to trees down on powerlines.

Widespread trees and power lines were downed.

Several reports of trees and wires down in Dorset and East Dorset, including power lines downed along Vermont Route 30 and along Mount Aeolus Lane.

Vermont Route 7A was closed between Dunham Road and Hill Farm Road due to trees and powerlines down.

Numerous trees and power lines were reported down due to strong winds across Bennington County resulting in power outages and road closures. The Automated Surface Observing System at the William H. Morse State Airport in Bennington measured at peak gust of 30 mph at 7:56 pm EST. In Landgrove Town Center, an observer for WeatherNet 6 (WRGB-CBS6) reported a measured wind gust of 41 mph at 8:42 pm EST.

Trees and powerlines were reported down in Landgrove Town Center by a Weathernet6 observer due to strong thunderstorm winds.

Trees and power lines were reported downed in various locations around the city of Bennington due to strong and gusty winds. Some downed trees were blocking roads.

Eighty-two power outages were reported across Bennington County due to high winds.

Trees and wires were reported down due to high winds in Arlington, Sunderland, Shaftsbury and Bennington. Power outages occurred across Bennington County. The |hardiest hit towns were Arlington and Shaftsbury. In Arlington, trees came down on transmission lines on both sides of town, blocking out two substations throughout Sunday night. An uprooted tree fell onto a house on Sunderland Hill Road. In Shaftsbury, the tree and powerline damage was concentrated on the east side of town, particularly East Road.

Power outages were reported due to high winds across Bennington County affecting the towns of Bennington, Pownal, Shaftsbury, Sunderland, Sandgate, Manchester and Dorest.

A significant mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain occurred from Thursday afternoon into early Friday afternoon.||Snow and sleet amounts of 4 to 8 inches fell across the higher elevations of northern and eastern Bennington County. In addition, ice accretion of one half to three quarters of an inch fell across the higher elevations, leading to numerous downed tree limbs and power lines.

A tree reportedly fell on a trailer located on Chapel Road, in Bennington. This occurred at approximately at 15:45 LST, due to the combination of high winds, and the accumulation of heavy wet snow on tree branches. In addition, several thousand power outages were reported throughout Bennington County Sunday afternoon, also due to the combination of high winds and heavy snowfall.

A low pressure system over the midwest moved east, reaching south central New York State around midday on Monday, January 15th, and then moved off the southern New England coast by Monday evening.|Cold low level air remained in place as precipitation overspread the region early Monday morning, producing a mix of freezing rain and some sleet. Significant icing, with ice accretions of one half of an inch, to up to one inch, occurred from the freezing rain during Monday, leading to widespread power outages from downed trees and tree limbs, and from power transformers which shorted out. Although the freezing rain tapered off Monday evening, strengthening winds in the wake of the storm continued to down tree limbs and exacerbate power outages across the region into Monday night.|This ice storm had a significant impact on travel and economy across the region. Several thousand customers were without power at the height of the ice storm Monday afternoon and night.

Trees and power lines were blown down in Sunderland.

The storm that had brought the ice and snow to southern Vermont on January 31, rapidly deepened as it moved east into the Gulf of Maine by late February 1. A steep pressure gradient, between that low and a high pressure ridge over the Ohio Valley, resulted in a high wind event across portions of extreme southern Vermont, namely Windham County. Residual ice buildup made that much easier for the wind to bring down trees. Trees, and even some power lines, were reported down in the towns of Newfane and Jamaica.

A powerful Nor'Easter resulted in widespread heavy wet snow and gusty winds across southern Vermont March 13-March 15, 2023. ||Anywhere from 15 to 30 inches of snow with locally higher amounts in excess of 30 inches fell over the southern Greens. A few locations in the southern Greens topped 40 inches.||Numerous downed trees and powerlines resulted in widespread power outages. Some locations were without power for at least 1 or 2 days. Several warming stations opened to assist those without power. Overall, this event led to the closing of many school districts, and resulted in chain up laws and bans of empty tractor trailers and/or tandems on some area interstates. A State of Emergency was issued for several jurisdictions as a result of the storm. ||Key Impacts: Power Outages, School Closures, Car Accidents, Travel Restrictions.

A brief but powerful arctic airmass moved across the region on February 3-4, 2023 which brought dangerously low wind chill values to much of the region along with strong wind gusts. An arctic cold front passed across the region during the early morning hours on February 3 accompanied by a few snow showers. Thereafter, very cold air gradually advected into the region on February 3 into the morning hours on February 4.||Air temperatures gradually fell throughout the day on February 3 with readings falling all the way to 15 to 30 degrees below zero by the early morning hours on February 4. ||In addition to the cold, this arctic air mass brought strong winds to the region during the daytime hours on February 3 into the overnight hours before easing on February 4. Peak wind gusts between 35 and 50 mph were observed. A few power outages occurred as a result.||The combination of very cold air and strong winds resulted in wind chill values much lower than the air temperature. The lowest wind chills ranged from 25 to 50 degrees below zero. For many, the last time if was this cold was in February of 2016.||Warming centers opened to offer assistance to those needing to shelter from the cold. In addition, some area schools closed as a result of the cold weather.||Key impacts: power outages, school closures.

A strong low pressure system emerged from the southern U.S. into the Northeast resulting in mixed precipitation over eastern New York Wednesday (January 25th) into Thursday (January 26th). In addition to the mixed precipitation, strong winds 40-55 mph from the storm resulted in some power outages across southern Vermont.||Key Impacts: Power outages.

With southern Vermont in the cold sector of a coastal low pressure system, a swath of moderate to heavy snow fell across a good portion of the area Sunday evening/night into Monday before ending Monday evening. The winter storm proved impactful resulting in car crashes and power outages. Some schools and businesses also closed as a result of the storm.||Key Impacts: Car accidents, power outages, school and business closures.

Two separate frontal systems merged to form a powerful winter storm over the Great Lakes from December 22 to December 24 bringing multiple hazards to the region including heavy rain, snow, strong winds and a very cold air mass in its wake.||A widespread 1 to 3 inches of rain fell across the region. This led to some areas of minor flooding and some creeks/brooks to overflow their banks.||Strong pre-frontal and post-frontal winds occurred across the region. A few gusts topped out between 50 and 60 mph, especially across Bennington County. Numerous power outages were reported across southern Vermont.||A period of snow brought accumulations of 2 to 5 inches to mainly higher elevation areas as colder air built back into the region. This led to a chain up law to be activated along Vermont Route 9. As conditions worsened, a large number of slide offs, crashes and whiteout conditions led to Vermont Route 9 to close. In addition, Vermont Route 11 and Vermont Route 30 also closed for a time due to the poor weather conditions.||The combination of much colder air and gusty winds led to wind chill values dropping to 15 to 20 degrees below zero.||Key impacts: Minor flooding, road closures, power outages.

A high-impact, long-duration winter storm affected the region from December 15-17, 2022. This was an elevation-dependent storm with heavy snowfall for the higher elevations and a mix of rain and snow in the valleys. Snowfall totals of 10-24 inches were common across the region.||This was a heavy, wet snow and the weight of the snow caused downed trees and power lines resulting in scattered power outages. A chain-up law was ordered for a portion of Vermont Route 9.||Key Impacts: Travel Delays, Tree Damage, Power Outages.

Strong, non-thunderstorm gradient winds associated with a sharp cold front resulted in multiple downed tree reports and power outages across parts of southern Vermont Wednesday evening (November 30).||Key Impact(s): Road closures, power outages.

A line of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds pushed through southern Vermont during the evening hours of March 7, 2022 resulting in numerous reports of downed trees and powerlines. Behind the storms, high winds continued during the late evening of the 7th into the early morning hours of the 8th, which resulted in additional downed trees and power lines. Around 8,000 customers lost power across southern Vermont.

A prolonged winter storm began on Thursday, February 3 and continued into Friday, February 4. Precipitation began as rain on February 3. Colder air gradually pushed southward into the overnight and early morning hours of February 4 resulting in a changeover to a wintry mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow. Most locations picked up 1 to 2 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation from this event with the majority of it falling as one or multiple types of frozen precipitation. Precipitation ended during the afternoon hours on February 4.||Flat ice accumulations ranged from 0.10 to nearly 0.50 of an inch across both Bennington and Windham counties. Bennington County received a greater amount of snow and sleet (3 to 5 inches) compared to Windham County (2 inches or less).||This event left thousands of residents without power in both Bennington and Windham counties due to downed trees and power lines and caused many schools to close on Friday, February 4. State offices opened two hours late. A couple of vehicle accidents were also noted.||Key impacts: travel delays, vehicle accidents, school closures, tree and wire damage, power outages.

Strong winds developed in the wake of a deepening low pressure system. These strong winds resulted in wind gusts ranging from 30 to 55 mph across southern Vermont, along with isolated power outages.

A pair of low pressure systems brought a mix of rain and high elevation snow to southern Vermont beginning the evening of Thursday, April 15th and ending the evening of Friday, April 16th, 2021. The majority of the heavy, wet snow fell across higher elevations (above 1500 feet) of Bennington and western Windham counties throughout this period, with a mix of rain and snow in the lower elevations of eastern Windham county. Snowfall totals ranged from 6 to 14 inches in the high elevations.||Key impacts: tree damage, power outages.

A strong cold front moved across the region on Monday, March 1 advecting in a much colder air mass along with a prolonged period of strong to locally damaging winds which continued into the early part of Tuesday, March 2. Wind gusts between 40 and 60 mph were common across the region, which led to reports of downed trees and power lines along with some power outages.||Colder air continued to filter into the region during the overnight and early morning hours of March 2 with low temperatures mainly in the single digits to below zero. This, combined with continued gusty winds, led to wind chill values falling to between 15 and 25 degrees below zero in some areas.||Key Impacts: tree damage, power outages, transportation delays.

A high-end severe weather event unfolded across the Northeast on Wednesday October 7, 2020. A line of thunderstorms originated across New York state and moved eastward into New England during the afternoon hours, producing widespread damage. This line brushed far southern Vermont, producing some tree damage across Bennington County. These storms resulted in about 21,000 power outages across southern Vermont. This event was classified as a serial derecho based on the 320 mile long damage swath and distribution of significant wind gusts (75 mph and above).

Tropical Storm Isaias tracked northeast from the eastern Carolinas across the mid-Hudson Valley and into New England. The center of the storm passed close to Albany, NY on August 4th. This storm brought tropical storm force winds and moderate to heavy rainfall to southern Vermont through the period. These winds caused the most damage across southern portions of the state, including Bennington and Windham counties, with several reports of downed trees and wires. Over 20,000 customers lost power.

On Friday, May 15, 2020, an intense line of thunderstorms quickly developed near Lake Ontario and raced eastward across eastern New York, reaching southern Vermont by around 6:30 pm. The storms produced several reports of wind damage across southern Vermont. Statewide, there were nearly 4,500 customers who lost power, most of which were concentrated in southern Vermont.

Multiple rounds of wintry precipitation impacted southern Vermont on the 6th and 7th. The first was a round of light to moderate snow after midnight on 6th to around sunrise, which resulted in around one to four inches of snow. Then, periods of freezing rain occurred from the afternoon of the 6th into the morning of the 7th, mainly over the higher terrain. Reports of up to a half an inch of ice accretion were received. The freezing rain quickly turned to a brief period of snow during the afternoon of the 7th as a strong low pressure system passed south of the area. Up to six additional inches of snow occurred with this round. The weight of the heavy snow and ice on trees along with elevated winds resulted in scattered power outages. The snow-covered roads resulted in a traffic delay on Route 9 in Woodford during the evening of the 7th when tractor trailers were unable to make it up the hill.

A complex winter storm brought a mix of rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain to the region from the evening of Sunday, December 29th, lingering through the morning of Tuesday, December 31st, 2019. Moderate accumulations of ice impacted portions of southern Vermont during this time frame. There were approximately 3,500 people without power across the state due to a combination of icy conditions and strong winds bringing down trees and power lines.

Strong winds developed as a strengthening low pressure system lifted out of the area. These strong winds resulted in power outages across portions of western New England.

An upper level disturbance moved through a hot and humid airmass, which sparked off some showers and thunderstorms. One of these storms became severe, resulting in a tree and power lines being downed.

Strong westerly winds developed behind a cold frontal boundary, with wind gusts ranging from 35 to 55 mph during the afternoon and evening hours of Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019. These strong wind gusts resulted in a few reports of fallen trees and power outages across the region.

Strong to damaging westerly winds developed over eastern New York and western New England on Sunday, February 24th into Monday, February 25th, in association with a deep low pressure system over the Canadian Maritimes. Gusts in excess of 50 mph were common across the area. The strongest gusts occurred during the afternoon of the 25th. Numerous power outages and downed trees occurred as a result of the winds. There was even one report of a tree falling onto a home in the town of Bennington.

A winter storm brought widespread wintry precipitation to southern Vermont on Tuesday, February 12th through Wednesday, February 13th, 2019. Precipitation started out as snow but then quickly transitioned to a period of sleet and then freezing rain throughout the event. This mix of wintry precipitation resulted in hundreds of closings and delays. Strong winds followed, especially across the southern Green Mountains, which led to power outages across the region.

Widespread rainfall fell across the region on Friday, February 8th, 2019 as a low pressure system and cold front moved through New York and western New England. Strong winds developed behind the cold front, resulting in scattered power outages into the morning of Saturday, February 9th, 2019. Peak wind gusts up to around 50 mph were recorded, resulting in approximately 1,000 customers without power.

Strong westerly to northwesterly winds developed during the morning of the 1st behind a cold front. Wind gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range were recorded. The winds brought down trees and wires and resulted in scattered power outages.

A low pressure system approaching from the southwest brought an area of rain and snow to southern Vermont on the 26th. Over the higher elevations primarily above 800 feet, the precipitation was mainly heavy, wet snow during the afternoon and evening hours, continuing overnight before tapering off in the late morning of the 27th. Additional snowfall occurred from the evening of the 27th to the evening of the 28th. Snowfall totals ranged mainly from one to two feet at elevations above 800 feet. The heavy, wet snow brought down numerous trees and powerlines, especially over higher elevations of Windham County, where up to 9,000 customers were without power into the 28th. It took until the following weekend for all customers to have their power restored. Two warming centers were opened as a result of the power outages. In addition, several automobile accidents occurred, and numerous schools were delayed or cancelled. One positive outcome of the snow was that several area ski hills got an early start to their season.

A low pressure system rapidly strengthened as it moved from eastern New York to New Brunswick on November 3rd, resulting in strong winds across the region. Over 1,400 people lost power in Windham County. Gusts up to 45 mph were recorded.

A hot and humid air mass was in place across the region with temperatures in the 90s and dew points in the 60s and 70s. This resulted in heat index values reaching 100 to 110 degrees during the afternoon hours in valley areas. ||This air mass also resulted in an unstable environment for strong to severe thunderstorms to form ahead of a cold front passage during the afternoon and evening hours of June 18th. The storms caused numerous trees and power lines to be knocked down, resulting in over 80,000 customers without power throughout the state of Vermont.

A powerful low pressure system formed on May 4th, pushing a strong cold front across New York and New England. A line of thunderstorms developed along this front and pushed into southern Vermont in the evening, resulting in dozens of downed trees and wires. Over 2,500 customers lost power as a result of the storms.

Behind this a departing front, a strong low pressure system and upper level low passed through the region, bringing high winds to the area. These high winds resulted in numerous trees down and power outages, with peak gusts up to 64 mph recorded in Arlington, VT.

A powerful low pressure system and a trailing cold front passed through the region on Wednesday, April 4th. Strong, damaging winds occurred both with the frontal passage but also behind it as northwest flow ensued. Wind gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range occurred across the region. This resulted in multiple reports of trees and wires down across southern Vermont.

An area of low pressure rapidly intensified off the coast of Long Island on March 2nd, 2018. A large swath of tropical moisture was fed into the storm, resulting in a period of moderate to heavy precipitation throughout the day. The precipitation type was highly dependent on elevation, with lower elevations seeing a significant amount of rain mixing in with snow, while higher elevations saw mainly snow. Snowfall accumulations ranged from around an inch in the lowest valleys up to 18 inches above 2000 feet elevation. The combination of heavy, wet snow and winds gusting up to 45 mph resulted in scattered power outages.

A strengthening low pressure system dragged a strong cold front through western New England after sunrise on November 19. Strong southerly winds just ahead of the front turned westerly and remained strong during the day behind the front. Seventeen hundred people lost power in Windham County with a few reports of trees and wires down.

A low pressure system developed off the southeast coast and rapidly intensified as it tracked northward tapping into tropical moisture. The powerful low moved across eastern New York and western New England Sunday night into early Monday morning bringing damaging winds, power outages, heavy rainfall and flooding to the region. As the system departed, strong winds ensued and caused thousands of power outages and trees down across southern Vermont. Total rainfall amounts reported across southern Vermont ranged from 1.07 inches in Bennington to 7.01 inches near Wilmington.

May 18 was the second straight day of temperatures approaching or exceeding 90 degrees in Southern Vermont. The hot airmass, despite not being overly humid, provided an unstable environment conducive for thunderstorm development. Thunderstorms began to form in the early afternoon over western New York along a lake breeze boundary. These storms pushed into southern Vermont by the evening, resulting in reports of wind damage. Over 4,000 customers lost power in Windham County.

A low pressure system brought rainfall to the area on May 5. On the back edge of the rain shield, the pressure dropped abruptly and resulted in the development of strong easterly winds for a 1-2 hour period. These winds packed a punch, resulting in damage over portions of Bennington County. Wind speeds of up to 68 mph were observed near Bennington. Numerous trees and wires were downed, resulting in power outage and road closures.

A cold front passed through the region Wednesday, March 1st. Winds became strong and gusty behind the front Wednesday evening into Thursday. Multiple trees and power lines were down across the region as a result of the high winds. Wind gusts of 30 to 45 mph were common across the region. Power companies reported a few hundred people were without power for a period of time.

On Monday, January 23rd, an area of low pressure formed along the mid-Atlantic coast and began to slowly lift northward. Light precipitation in the form of snow began in the early evening hours. As some warmer air moved into the region aloft, the precipitation mixed with sleet, especially for southern areas. ||During the overnight hours, the precipitation fell moderate at times and primarily fell in the form of sleet. The combination of wet snow and sleet made for slow travel and many vehicle accidents. Many schools were cancelled on Tuesday, January 24th. Also, the heavy wet snow downed some trees and power lines, causing isolated power outages as well. ||As warmer air continued to move in aloft, the precipitation fell as freezing rain in most areas into the day on Tuesday, January 24th. The precipitation continued through the entire day on Tuesday, January 24th, but was generally lighter in intensity. The precipitation changed back to all snow briefly on Tuesday evening, before ending around midnight. ||Valley areas generally picked up 2 to 4 inches of snow and sleet, with a light glaze of ice as well. Higher terrain locations within the southern Green Mountains generally had 3 to 6 inches of snow and sleet.

A strong storm system moved from the eastern Great Lakes on Tuesday, January 10th towards the St. Lawrence Valley by the morning of Wednesday, January 11th. Ahead of this storm system, strong south to southeast winds were in place across the entire region, with the strongest winds across the higher elevations. As the storm's cold front crossed the region, winds switched to the west to southwest and continued to be gusty. Although the winds were strongest early in the day, gusty winds continued into the day on Wednesday, January 11th. ||Surface observations recorded wind gusts of 40 to 60 MPH across the area. These strong wind gusts resulted in many downed trees, power poles, and power lines. Some power outages occurred as a result of these downed trees and wires.

A strong frontal boundary crossed the region during the early morning hours on Sunday, November 20th. Precipitation initially begin as rain or a mix of rain and snow, but quickly transitioned over to just snow as colder air quickly worked its way into the region. ||Although precipitation only lasted a few hours across valley areas, the snowfall continued through the entire day on Sunday November 20th and into the day on Monday November 21st across the higher elevations of the southern Green Mountains, as the persistent westerly flow caused upslope flow. While valley areas only saw a few inches of snowfall, the highest elevations around Woodford saw up to 26 inches.||As a result of the snowfall, travel was severely hampered across the high terrain. In addition, the snowfall combined with gusty winds caused some power outages across southern Vermont as well.

Behind a departing cold front, a strong pressure gradient in place allowed for gusty winds across the entire region between the evening on Saturday, October 22nd and through the entire day on Sunday, October 23rd. West to northwest winds gusted up to 50 MPH at times, resulting in downed trees and power lines over parts of southern Vermont. Some isolated power outages occurred as a result of the downed wires.

On the morning of Saturday, August 13th, a warm front lifted northward across the region. This allowed a very warm and excessively humid air mass to be in place over the area. ||Late in the day, a surface cold front was approaching the area from the west. An organized line of thunderstorms moved from west to east across all of eastern Upstate New York and crossed southern Vermont during the evening hours. These storms produced gusty winds, which caused damage to some trees and power lines.||In addition to the gusty winds, the thunderstorms also produced a significant amount of cloud-to-ground lightning. Numerous power outages were reported across the region as a result of the thunderstorms.||Thunderstorms ended with the passage of the cold front during the overnight hours.

A strong upper level disturbance and surface cold front was located over the Great Lakes during the day on Monday, June 20th. With a warm and humid air mass in place, thunderstorms developed during the evening hours ahead of the storm system over Lake Ontario and southern Canada and moved across eastern New York for the late evening hours into the early morning hours on Tuesday, June 21st. Despite being the overnight hours, these thunderstorms were able to maintain themselves due to very strong winds aloft. ||During the overnight hours, thunderstorms produced strong winds over southern Vermont. A wind gust was measured to 61 MPH in Bennington and power outages were reported throughout the region.||The threat for thunderstorms ended around daybreak when the cold front moved across the region from west to east.

A fast moving, but strong clipper system moved from the Great Lakes region towards the Northeast on Saturday, February 14th. Light snowfall spread across southern Vermont during the early afternoon hours and began to pick up in intensity. This snowfall made for hazardous travel conditions. ||During the evening hours and into the early morning hours on Sunday, February 15th, the clipper storm began to re-form off the New England coast as a powerful winter storm. While the majority of the heavy snow with this developing system remained to the east across central and eastern New England, periods of snow continued over parts of southern Vermont, especially in the higher peaks of the southern Green Mountains. ||By the time snow finally tapered off during the mid-morning hours on Sunday, February 15th, most of southern Vermont received 4 to 8 inches of snow, with the largest amounts at the higher elevations.

A significant and powerful coastal storm impacted the Northeast states on Monday, January 26th through Tuesday, January 27th. Despite the impressive strength of this storm, it remained just far enough away from the region to avoid having a major impact on southern Vermont. While parts of Long Island, New York and eastern New England saw a major blizzard, much of southern Vermont only saw a moderate snowfall. ||Although snowfall was expected on begin on Monday, January 26th, it remained just south and east of the region during the day. Some light snowfall finally began to move into the region during the early morning hours on Tuesday, January 27th. Although just a light accumulation of a coating to an inch or so occurred by daybreak, many schools and businesses were closed due to the forecast. ||During the daytime on Tuesday, January 27th, a light to moderate snowfall built into the region from the east. Snowfall was even briefly heavy at times. Gusty winds occurred across the higher elevations as well, causing some blowing of snowfall. Snowfall began to wind down during the afternoon and tapered off by the evening hours. ||Snowfall amounts were very variable across southern Vermont. Around 3 to 7 inches fell across Bennington and Windham Counties, with the highest amounts across the higher terrain of the southern Green Mountains.

A warm and humid air mass was in place over the region on Thursday, July 3rd. As a strong cold front approached from the west, a broken line of thunderstorms developed over upstate New York and moved eastward during the late afternoon hours. Aided by powerful winds aloft, the storms moved from west to east over southern Vermont during the early evening hours. A few of the storms produced strong winds, causing damage to trees and power lines. ||As the cold front moved through the area by later in the evening, the storms moved east of the region and the threat for severe weather ended.

A very warm and humid air mass was in place across southern Vermont on Tuesday, May 21st. A slow moving frontal boundary was situated just north of the area across the Saint Lawrence River Valley along the United States-Canadian border. During the day, a wave of low pressure moved along this boundary, allowing the boundary to slowly push southward towards the area. With strong wind shear aloft and plenty of low level moisture in place, thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours across eastern New York and some of these moved into southern Vermont by evening.||Thunderstorms initially formed as single cells and supercells, but eventually organized into several broken lines, which moved from west to east across the area. One of broken lines of thunderstorms that moved across southern Vermont produced gusty winds, which caused damage to trees and power lines in Dorset.||As the surface wave of low pressure moved away and with the loss of daytime heating, thunderstorms eventually ended during the late evening hours.

Hurricane Sandy moved northward off eastern seaboard of the United States during the last week of October 2012. Due to a very strong blocking ridge of high pressure situated over the Atlantic Ocean, the storm turned back to the northwest and rapidly strengthened as it moved toward the mid-Atlantic coast. Although the storm began transitioning into a non-tropical nor'easter storm, it remained an extremely powerful cyclone. As the storm made landfall in southern New Jersey during the evening of October 29th, bands of rain moved across western New England. The rainfall was not excessively heavy and did not cause any flooding, thanks to dry antecedent conditions. Rainfall amounts were generally less than an inch for valley areas, but higher terrain areas saw slightly higher amounts. Woodford reported a rainfall total of 2.07 inches.||However, strong and gusty winds in association with the storm caused damage to trees and power lines across the region. Although not quite as widespread as areas across southeastern New York and New Jersey, power outages occurred throughout the region. Most of the outages in Vermont were primarily in the western part of the state. Wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph were common from the afternoon of the 29th until the early morning hours of the 30th. The highest wind gust in southern Vermont occurred in Woodford, where a wind gust to 58 mph was reported.

An early season Nor'easter dumped heavy wet snow across southern Vermont. The storm tapped both Atlantic and subtropical moisture. Snowfall rates were as high as 1 to 3 inches an hour in mesoscale snowbands. Snowfall amounts ranged from 10 to 16 inches across Windham County and from 5 to 14 inches across Bennington County. Power outages occurred as trees and wires came down due to the heavy snow.||A colder air mass was brought into the region on Thursday, October 27th, as an area of low pressure moved eastward along a frontal boundary to our south. This weak system produced our first snowfall of season. Low pressure began to develop along the southeast coast Friday night. The low tracked along or just north of the Gulf Stream and rapidly deepened and intensified (cyclogenesis) as it moved northeastward on Saturday, October 29th. The storm passed just southeast of Cape Cod early Sunday morning, October 30th, then headed northeastward into the Canadian Maritimes during the day.

Tropical Storm Irene tracked north northeast across eastern New York and western New England during Sunday, August 28th, producing widespread flooding, and damaging winds across the region. ||Irene tracked from a position over New York City around 8 AM EST Sunday, to approximately 10 miles west of Danbury, CT at 10 AM EST, to approximately 15 miles south of Pittsfield, MA at 1 PM EST Sunday, to approximately 65 miles south of Rutland, VT at 4 PM EST. ||The greatest impact from Irene across southern Vermont was due to heavy to extreme rainfall, which resulted in catastrophic flooding. Rainfall amounts generally averaged 4 to 8 inches. Much of the rain which fell occurred within a 12 hour period, beginning early Sunday morning, and ending Sunday evening. ||This heavy to extreme rainfall resulted in widespread flash flooding and river flooding across southern Vermont. In Bennington County, widespread flash flooding and associated damage was reported countywide, with many roads closed due to flooding and downed trees and power lines. Route 9, the main route across southern Vermont, was closed. The city of Bennington was inaccessible for a period of time. Record flooding occurred on the Walloomsac River at Bennington. ||In Windham County, catastrophic flooding was reported countywide, along with widespread damage and road closures. Route 9, the main route across southern Vermont was closed, with the city of Wilmington inaccessible for a period of time. Numerous evacuations were reported. In addition, record flooding occurred on the Saxtons River at Saxtons and the Williams River at Rockingham.||One death occurred due to flooding from Irene in southern Vermont. In Windham County, a woman drowned when the car she was in became trapped by flood waters from the Deerfield River in Wilmington. ||Strong winds also occurred across southern Vermont, with frequent wind gusts of 35 to 55 mph, along with locally stronger wind gusts exceeding 60 mph. The strongest winds occurred from the north to northeast during the morning hours, then from the west to northwest during Sunday evening. The combination of strong winds, and extremely saturated soil led to numerous downed trees and power lines across the region. This also resulted in widespread long duration power outages. ||In particular, the approximate number of customers affected by power outages included: Bennington County, 5000 and Windham County, 18000.||On September 1st, 2011 a Major Disaster Declaration was declared, FEMA-4022-DR. This declaration made Individual Assistance available to 12 counties in the state of Vermont including Bennington and Windham counties. Public Assistance was made available to all 14 counties in the state. In addition, the declaration made Hazard Mitigation Grant Program assistance available. It was estimated that in Vermont 312 residences were impacted with 85 destroyed and 227 sustaining major damage.||Individual Assistance: assistance to individuals and households. Public Assistance: assistance to state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency work and repair or replacement if disaster-damaged facilities.

A nearly stationary frontal boundary was draped across western and northern New York State as several waves of low pressure moved easterly along the boundary. In addition, a warm front lifted northeastward across southern Vermont during the morning hours of Thursday, May 26th. The passage of the warm front ushered in a warm, humid and unstable airmass. ||A large bowing segment of thunderstorms tracked east from the Catskills and Schoharie Valley of east central New York across western New England including southern Vermont during the late evening hours. There were numerous reports of wind damage and power outages.

A strong cold front swept across southern Vermont Wednesday bringing strong and gusty winds and heavy rains to the area. With the passage of the cold front winds quickly shifted from the south-southeast to the west and temperatures rapidly dropped. ||Ahead of the cold front a very strong south to southeast low level jet resulted in wind gusts up to 55 mph and with the passage of the front there were wind gusts up to to around 50 mph. These strong winds gusts downed trees and power lines resulting in power outages. ||Generally, 1 1/2 to 3 inches of rain fell across the area resulting in some urban and small stream flooding.

A powerful storm impacted the region, the second in just a couple of days bringing heavy rainfall and a heavy wet snow to the local area. The heavy wet snow resulted in additional and continued widespread power outages across southern Vermont, downed trees and power lines, treacherous travel and road closures. In addition to the heavy precipitation, strong and gusty winds developed Thursday night into Friday morning along the east facing slopes of the Green Mountains of southern Vermont with gusts up to 50 mph.||An area of low pressure developed south of Long Island Thursday, February 25th, and rapidly deepened Thursday night as it drifted northwestward into southern New England. The low began to weaken on Friday moving little, then moved gradually eastward Friday night and Saturday.||During the day Thursday precipitation overspread the area. The rain snow line set up just to the west of the Hudson River Valley in New York State. Colder air eventually worked into southern Vermont Friday, changing the precipitation to all snow. By the time the snow came to an end, snowfall totals of 1 to 2 feet were reported across the higher terrain, with lesser amounts of 3 to 6 inches below 1000 feet. The liquid equivalent totals from the storm were 1 to 2 1/2 inches.

Low pressure developed along the mid Atlantic coast Tuesday, February 23rd, then gradually moved northward toward southern New England Tuesday night and Wednesday. ||This system blanketed the area in a heavy wet snow that resulted in treacherous travel conditions and widepread power outages across southern Vermont. Generally 1 to 2 feet of snow accumulated with the highest amounts above 1500 feet.

Initially, a strong upper level disturbance and surface cold front approached the region Friday, January 1st, resulting in light snowfall across the area. Then, a powerful storm formed in the Gulf of Maine on Saturday, January 2nd and moved gradually westward toward the northern New England coast Saturday night into Sunday, January 3rd, bringing a widespread snowfall to southern Vermont along with blustery conditions, resulting in blowing and drifting of the snow. ||Snowfall totals across Bennington and western Windham counties ranged from about 10 inches, up to just over two feet.

A large and powerful low pressure system over the upper midwest moved slowly northeastward as it weakened on Saturday, December 26th. In the meantime, a secondary low had formed over the mid atlantic region and moved gradually northeast. A light wintry mix of precipitation overspread southern Vermont late Christmas night and continued well into Saturday night, causing travel to be treacherous at times. ||Snow and sleet accumulations of up to an inch occurred, along with ice accretions of up to one tenth of an inch.

A tight pressure gradient between a strong low pressure system over northern New England, and an approaching ridge of high pressure from the west, led to strong winds across eastern New York and western New England, from Monday evening, into midday Tuesday.||Wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph occurred. This led to scattered power outages, along with downed trees and tree limbs.

A cold front moved across eastern New York and western New England on Wednesday, December 10th, ushering a cold airmass into the region. A low pressure system developed over the southeast states Wednesday and Wednesday night. This storm then headed northeast Thursday and Thursday night, December 11th, with precipitation spreading northward well in advance of the low. The low continued to track northeast, passing over the mid Atlantic region late Thursday night, and over the New York City Metropolitan area and southern New England Friday morning, December 12th. The low then moved to the Canadian Maritimes Friday night. ||As the storm approached, warmer air moved in aloft, and with a cold airmass remaining in place at the surface, this set the stage for a significant mixed precipitation event. The precipitation came down heavy at times, especially Thursday night. Hourly precipitation rates of one quarter to one third of an inch were reported for several hours in the form of freezing rain across much of the region. The precipitation changed back to snow before ending early Friday afternoon. Total ice accretion from freezing rain ranged from one half to three quarters of an inch, with the greatest amounts occurring across higher elevations of eastern Bennington and western Windham Counties. Some sleet and snow also were mixed in, with as much as 7 inches reported at Woodford.||The ice storm resulted in widespread damage to trees and resultant power outages across southern Vermont, where an estimated 15,000 utility customers lost power. Many schools and businesses were shut down for several days due to the loss of power, and impassable roads from extensive fallen debris, resulting in significant economic and societal impacts. States of emergency were also declared across portions of southern Vermont. The hardest hit areas were across Bennington and much of Windham Counties.||Bitterly cold temperatures followed in the wake of the storm Saturday and Sunday, compounding the power outages across the region. Numerous warming shelters were setup to assist those who were without power and heat.

The combination of a low pressure system tracking east across northern New York State, and a second low pressure rapidly developing across the Canadian Maritimes created a tight pressure gradient across much of eastern New York and western New England during Sunday afternoon and evening, December 7th. This tight pressure gradient led to strong west to northwest winds, with sustained speeds of 15 to 30 mph, and gusts of up to 55 mph. ||These strong winds led to some downed tree limbs, and subsequent scattered power outages across the region Sunday afternoon and evening.

A strengthening low pressure system over the lower Ohio Valley on Tuesday March 4th tracked northeast into west central New York State by Wednesday morning on March 5th. The low then tracked northeast into the Canadian Maritimes by Thursday morning on March 6th. ||This storm system spread a swath of freezing rain and sleet across higher elevations of east central New York and portions of southern Vermont. The freezing rain and sleet developed late Tuesday evening, and continued through early Wednesday afternoon before tapering off. ||In southern Vermont, significant ice accumulations of one half, to locally up to one inch occurred in the higher elevations of western Windham county. Elsewhere, ice accumulations ranged from one quarter to less than one half of an inch, with the least occurring in lower elevations. ||The heavy ice accumulations across the higher elevations led to widespread downed tree limbs and wires, as well as power outages.|Wilmington in southwest Windham county was particularly hard hit.

A low pressure system traveled from the lower Mississippi Valley into the lower Ohio Valley on Saturday, December 15th. This low then redeveloped just off the Delmarva peninsula by Sunday morning, December 16th, and intensified rapidly, becoming the primary low center. This low then tracked into the Canadian maritimes by Monday morning.||This storm system brought a significant mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain to the region, beginning early Sunday morning, and persisting into Sunday night.||Total snow and sleet accumulations of 8 to 14 inches fell during this storm, with the highest amounts across portions of Bennington County.||This heavy snow and sleet led to the closings of numerous schools and businesses Monday morning, and also created treacherous driving conditions Sunday into Monday.||The combination of strong winds, and the extra weight of heavy wet snow on tree limbs also downed trees and powerlines in portions of Bennington County during Sunday.

Low pressure developed over the lower Mississippi Valley on Saturday April 14th, and then moved northeast while intensifying, reaching the southern Appalachians by Sunday morning, April 15th, and then just south of western Long Island by Monday morning, April 16th. This low became very intense, with a central barometric pressure falling below 970 millibars upon reaching just south of Long Island Monday morning. The low then headed off the New England coast by Tuesday morning.| |As a result of this intense storm, heavy wet snow and sleet fell across much of southern Vermont. The snow began Sunday morning, and continued through Sunday night. The heaviest snowfall occurred at higher elevations, especially above 1500 feet.| |Snowfall amounts ranged from 8 to 12 inches, with the greatest amounts across the higher elevations of eastern Bennington county, and western Windham county. Some of the highest amounts included 12 inches at Woodford, 10.5 inches at Landgrove, and 11 inches at Marlboro.|The heavy wet snowfall, combined with gusty winds, downed numerous tree limbs and power lines which resulted in widespread power outages.| |The snow eventually mixed with, and changed to rain by Monday morning.

Low pressure moved from the mid Mississippi Valley on Wednesday April 11th into the southern Great Lakes by Thursday morning on April 12th, spreading a swath of heavy wet snow across portions of southern Vermont from early Thursday morning into Thursday evening.|Snowfall amounts were greatest across the higher elevations above 1500 feet of eastern Bennington and western Windham counties, where 6 to 10 inches of snowfall occurred. At Woodford, 9.5 inches was reported, while at Landgrove, at an elevation of 1950 feet, 9 inches was reported. This heavy snowfall led to downed tree limbs and power lines, which resulted in scattered power outages.

A low pressure system over the midwest moved east, reaching south central New York State around midday on Monday, January 15th, and then moved off the southern New England coast by Monday evening. Cold low level air remained in place as precipitation overspread the region early Monday morning, producing a mix of freezing rain and some sleet. Significant icing occurred from the freezing rain during Monday, leading to widespread power outages from downed trees and tree limbs, and from power transformers which shorted out. Although the freezing rain tapered off Monday evening, strengthening winds in the wake of the storm continued to down tree limbs and exacerbate power outages across the region into Monday night. |This ice storm had a significant impact on travel and economy across the region.

A surface cold front, associated with an upper level trough crossing over the Great Lakes, moved eastward over the Appalachians and into the region on February 10th. At the same time, a surface low pressure area moved across the Mid-Atlantic states and off the coast of New England. As both upper-level and surface lows deepened off Cape Cod and interacted with the colder air behind the front, portions of Eastern New York, north of Albany as well as Southern Vermont, received a significant snowfall. The storm caused scattered power outages in Warren County, New York and Windham County, Vermont, as heavy, wet snow accumulated on power lines. Numerous minor traffic accidents were also reported. The average snowfall total depth across the entire region ranged from 7 to 11 inches, but some locations received more than a foot. The Town of Granville, located in Washington County, New York, reported the most snowfall with this storm, 13.9 inches.

An extremely cold airmass moved out of Siberia, then plunged southward through Canada and across the northeast by January 15. At the same time, a powerful storm developed off the Canadian Maritimes. The pressure gradient between the intense storm and the arctic high pressure, extending from central Canada southward through the Ohio Valley, produced gusty north to northwest winds in the 15 to 30 mph range, with higher gusts. This wind, combined with ambient temperatures ranging from 5 below zero to 15 below zero, resulted in dangerous wind chills across extreme southern Vermont during the night of January 15 through the morning of the 16th. Equivalent wind chill readings ranged from 30 to 40 below zero.

A large upper air trough dug across the western Great Lakes on Monday, July 21. At the surface, a deep low pressure area moved across the eastern Great Lakes, driving a warm front across New England during the evening hours. The air became very unstable in the warm air mass behind the front. A supercell, that originated in the Mid Hudson Valley of New York and producing a long lived significant tornado, spawned a second twister which touched down in the town of Pownal, Bennington County. The twister cut a swath longer than 25 miles and up 150 yards wide. After touching down in Pownal, the tornado moved northeast into the city of Bennington, then continued into the Green Mountain State Forest in extreme western Windham County where it caused significant forest damage. Most of the destruction was to trees. There was also some structural damages in Bennington County. A tree collapsed onto a house. Another massive pine slammed into a 100-year-old house's roof in Pownal. A steakhouse in the city of Bennington, suffered damage that closed it for a couple of days, including shattered windows and water damage due to an open roof. An awning had been blown from the deck of the structure, all the way across Route 7A. The owner was slammed against a wall while venturing outside on the open deck, with no injuries. During the height of the storm, power was knocked out to over 2,000 customers in extreme southern Vermont.

A low pressure area developed in the Mississippi valley by late on January 2. The storm then tracked northward into the southern Ohio Valley, then rapidly redeveloped along the Mid Atlantic seaboard on January 3. Slowly, it moved to just east of Cape Cod by late on January 4. With plenty of cold air in place the stage was set for another snowstorm across extreme southern Vermont. Although this storm was not as powerful as the Christmas Day storm, it was a larger storm and inflow moisture was fueled by a strong high pressure over eastern Canada. Also, this storm moved very slowly. Light snow began falling early on the January 3, then it became heavier and steadier as the day wore on. Snowfall amounts were generally around a foot. No real problems were reported to the National Weather as a result of this snowstorm.

A strong nor'easter developed off Cape Hatteras on November 16. The low pressure center then slowly moved north along the coast, reaching Cape Cod by late November 17. At the same time, a shallow layer of arctic air bled south from eastern Canada. This air was cold enough to produce a heavy wintery mix of precipitation during a good portion of the storm across extreme southern Vermont. Initially the precipitation fell primarily as snow across the county, with 2-4 inches of accumulation reported. As warmer air moved in overhead, the precipitation changed to sleet, then freezing rain. Freezing rain produced up to half an inch of ice accretion on most surfaces. The combination of the snow, sleet and ice, winds gusting over 30 mph, and the fact that some trees still had leaves on them, resulted in many downed trees and powerlines. There were numerous power outages, especially from Arlington to the New York State line. Travel conditions were poor as well. Temperatures finally rose above freezing later on Sunday morning, putting an end to the winter storm. Some minor additional snowfall accumulations were noted on the back side of the storm late on Sunday into early Monday.

During Friday afternoon and early evening of May 31, a strong cold front clashed with a very unstable air mass across southern Vermont. In addition, there were strong divergent winds aloft. All of these parameters set the stage for severe thunderstorms across Bennington County. Thunderstorm winds blew numerous trees and power lines down throughout that county. Power was temporarily knocked out to about 775 customers.

A compact low pressure area developed across the Gulf States on Sunday, January 6. This storm loaded up with Gulf of Mexico moisture, then swiftly tracked up along the Atlantic seaboard, and was already in the Gulf of Maine by the following Monday morning. The upper level support to this system moved across the region during the day Monday and brought another round of lighter snow. While the two systems never really did evolve into an especially powerful storm, they did manage to produce a swath of snow in excess of a foot across southern Vermont. Fifteen inches of snow fell at Pownal, Bennington County and 18 accumulated at Marlboro, Windham County. The storm managed to close schools and businesses across the region, as well as producing many vehicular accidents.

A powerful cold front, combined with a strong upper level disturbance to produce widespread thunderstorms across southern Vermont during the afternoon of July 1. One of the storms became severe as winds from it ripped down trees in the Windham County towns of Stratton and South Newfane. In Bennington County, both trees and wires were blown down in the town of Arlington.

Low pressure, over eastern Georgia, moved to eastern North Carolina by the morning of March 21. The storm then tracked off the Virginia coastline and up the eastern seaboard, to become the third nor'easter of the month. By the morning of March 23, the storm center had slowly progressed to the Gulf of Maine. This storm was fairly powerful and contained both Gulf and Atlantic moisture. Heavy wet snow fell, accumulating 3 to 7 inches in the valleys across southern Vermont, but 7 inches to locally well over a foot fell across the higher terrain. In Bennington County, Peru received 14.5 inches. In Windham County, Townshend received 8 and West Wardsboro 19 inches. The heavy snow brought down trees and limbs in Windham County, and even produced some spotty power outages.

Just as southern Vermont had recovered from the big snowstorm, another nor'easter moved up the coast, forming off the New Jersey coast early on March 9th, and reaching Cape Cod shortly after midnight. This storm was not nearly as powerful as its predecessor, nor did it include as much moisture. Snowfall amounts were somewhat elevation dependent and the snow had a very high water content. A general 6-12 inch swath of snow fell across the region. Pownal, Bennington county reported 8 inches. Also, in Pownal, a sand and plow truck went off a road, with no injuries. In Windham County, West Wardsboro received 9 inches and Guilford, 12.

An area of low pressure developed across the Tennessee Valley late on December 11th. The storm then rapidly deepened as it moved northeast into the Ohio Valley, Saint Lawrence Valley and eventually across the Canadian Maritimes on December 12th. The pressure difference between this intensifying storm and a large arctic high pressure building over the Southeast, produce a high wind event across southern Vermont on December 12th. The strongest winds with the storm came after the passage of the cold front, during the midday hours. A strong westerly wind brought down large limbs, trees and powerlines across Bennington county. Large limbs were blown down at Stratton Mountain in Windham county.