Winter storm warnings were issued from Bennington to Newport this weekend, with 7 to 14 inches of snow predicted to fall Friday night and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service office in Burlington.
Snow was expected to arrive by 9 p.m. in southern and central Vermont counties, with the heaviest accumulations on southeast-facing slopes, according to Brooke Taber, a meteorologist with the weather service in Burlington.
Winds along western slopes may reach 35 mph, and the windy conditions could cause power outages, Taber said.
“If I were to guess on a line (that may experience a power outage), I would say South Lincoln, Breadloaf and East Middlebury, down to Mendon, Rutland and possibly Danby,” Taber said. However, if outages do occur, Taber predicts “they would be isolated in nature.”
Farther north, the storm is expected to arrive by midnight, bringing 6 to 9 inches through the northern St. Lawrence Valley, northern Champlain Valley and Northeast Kingdom.
While Vermonters who enjoy snow sports may want to head right for the slopes on Saturday morning, the weather service warned that heavy snowfall around that time — an inch per hour, or more, around dawn — could make travel slippery.
“Just be safe and drive safe tomorrow morning reaching your destination,” Taber said, “and things should be good to go.”
People who need to travel early Saturday should use extreme care and “keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency,” the weather service said.