Winter Storm in Vermont, March 5 to 6, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Vermont, March 5 to 6, 2001
Start: 2001-03-05T23:00
End: 2001-03-06T15:00
Location: Vermont

March 5 to 6, 2001 · NWS BTV · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Storm system developed off the Virginia coast early Monday, March 5th. It moved slowly northeast to near Cape Cod, Ma late Monday night, March 5th and Tuesday morning, March 6th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $100,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BTV wrote it up.

Storm system developed off the Virginia coast early Monday, March 5th. It moved slowly northeast to near Cape Cod, Ma late Monday night, March 5th and Tuesday morning, March 6th. The storm moved slowly away from New England during Tuesday, March 6th. Snow overspread Vermont Monday morning (March 5th) and became steady by afternoon and continued through the night before tapering off later Tuesday, March 6th. The snow was heavy at times. Some impacts included: Many schools were closed and many towns postponed their Town meeting day. Several accidents were reported. Generally, between 7 and 12 inches of snow fell due to the shadow effect. A few snowfall reports included: In Caledonia county, Sutton had 9.6 inches while in Essex county, Island Pond reported 10.5 inches.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Burlington, VT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 5, 9:44 PM EST, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 9:44 PM EST, 1 hour 16 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
944 PM EST MON MAR 5 2001

SAT LOOP CONTINUING TO SHOW COLD CLOUD TOPS MOVG FROM NWWD FROM OFF
THE SRN NEW ENG CST TO VERMONT AND NORTHERN NEW YORK.  VAD WIND
PROFILE SHOWING SE WINDS IN THE HIGHER LEVELS WITH EAST WINDS IN THE
LOW LEVELS BRING PLENTY OF MOISTURE IN FROM THE ATLANTIC.  DEEPENING
LOW SOUTH OF CAPE COD ATTM.  BASED ON SPOTTER REPORTS...SOME AREAS
IN THE CHAMPLAIN VLY AND SRN VT HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A FOOT OF
SNOW ALREADY.  THE CHAMPLAIN VLY AND MOST OF VT SHOULD SEE 10 TO
20 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION BY DAYBREAK...WITH 8 TO 16 INCHES
BY DAYBREAK ACROSS THE ADIRONDACKS AND CANADIAN BORDER AREAS...AND 6
TO 12 INCHES BY DAYBREAK IN THE ST LAWRENCE VLY.  ALSO...GETTING
SOME REPORTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR ACROSS SRN VT ATTM.  HAVE
BOOSTED SNOWFALL TOTALS THRU TUESDAY ACROSS NORTHERN ZONES...BASED
ON CURRENT SNOWFALL REPORTS.  WINDS NOT AS TSTRONG ATTM...SO WILL
CUT BACK ON WIND SPEEDS OVERNIGHT.  MADE SOME MINOR CHGS TO MIN
TEMPS OVERNIGHT.  OTRW...NO CHGS TO THE REMAINDER OF THE FCST.

.BTV...WINTER STORM WARNING VTZ001>012-NYZ026>031-034-035 THRU TUE.

WGH

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Essex

When: March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Essex forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.728, -71.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Caledonia

When: March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Caledonia forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.465, -72.102 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Vermont in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Vermont, March 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5238125, 5238126.