BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The region is bracing for another bout of winter weather starting Tuesday evening that could come with power outages and possible flooding in southern areas.
What begins as sometimes heavy snow late Tuesday is expected to turn into rain by Wednesday, accompanied by winds up to 65 mph, especially along the western slopes of the mountains. A flood watch has been posted in southern areas including Bennington County.
[Tue 12 PM] We are increasingly concerned about a period of 1-2 inches per hour of heavy, wet snowfall late this afternoon into the early overnight hours. The evening commute will be impacted for many. Here’s an animation showing the timing of hourly snowfall rates #VTwx #NYwx pic.twitter.com/PxbGyuXglR
— NWS Burlington (@NWSBurlington) January 9, 2024
Green Mountain Power officials are calling in backup crews for widespread power outages. “In addition to our own internal crews, we’ve brought in external crews from outside the state to boost our field force to more than double,” said GMP’s Kristin Kelly.
Gov. Kathy Hochul took to the airwaves Tuesday to warn New Yorkers about the storm. “Over in Western New York, Central New York, and the North Country, our biggest concern is the high winds,” she said. “We are pre-positioning over 8,800 utility workers and 75 massive generators to be able to handle any power outages that affect traffic signals.”
Officials advise to keep phones charged, stock up on supplies, and stay away from downed lines.