Winter Weather in Vermont, February 17, 2002

Name: Winter Weather in Vermont, February 17, 2002
Start: 2002-02-17T05:30
End: 2002-02-17T15:00
Location: Vermont

February 17, 2002 · NWS BTV · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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: $80,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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.

A storm system over western New York combined with another system which reorganized off the southern New England coast and then moved east. These systems spread light snow across the area from the early morning hours into the afternoon of February 17th. Accumulations were generally 3 to 6 inches regionwide. There were a few isolated higher amounts with : Jay Peak 11.8 inches, and 7 inches locally reported in the towns of Springfield, East Albany and Brookfield. A number of automobile accidents were reported in both Chittenden and Washington counties.

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 Feb 17, 3:54 AM EST, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 17, 3:54 AM EST, 1 hour 36 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
354 AM EST SUN FEB 17 2002

THANKS WFO ALBANY AND WFO GRAY FOR HELPFUL COORDINATION.

READING THE DISCUSSIONS FROM NCEP AND ADJACENT OFFICES WOULD LEAD ME
TO BELIEVE THAT THE AVN MODEL HAS HAD THE BEST HANDLE ON THE FORECAST
SCENARIO THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.  AS FAR AS NORTHERN NEW YORK STATE
AND VERMONT ARE CONCERNED HOWEVER...THE ETA HAS FAR AND AWAY
OUTPERFORMED THE AVN--HAVING TREMENDOUS CONSISTENCY ESPECIALLY WITH
REGARD TO THE LOCATION OF THE PRECIP-GENERATING DYNAMICS WITH TODAYS
SHORTWAVE.  FAIRLY VIGOROUS LOW-LEVEL DEFORMATION/COLD FRONTOGENESIS
AREA IS SETTING UP THIS MORNING FROM THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY OF
NORTHERN NEW YORK EASTWARD ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER TO AROUND JAY
PEAK...KCXX/KTYX 88D RETURNS FILLING IN NICELY OVER THESE AREAS THE
PAST TWO HOURS.  00 UTC ETA BUFR DATA INDICATES AS MUCH AS 0.60
INCHES QPF OVER THESE AREAS TODAY (WHILE 80KM RESOLUTION ETA ON AWIPS
YIELDS A MORE REASONABLE 0.25 TO 0.40 INCHES).  THUS WEVE RAISED AN
ADVISORY TODAY FOR 3 TO 5 INCHES IN THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY...THE
DACKS...AND FAR NORTHWESTERN VERMONT.  ETAS SECONDARY LOW-LEVEL
ASCENT MAX IN CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE THIS AFTERNOON APPEARS TO BE TOO
FAR EAST TO AFFECT THE VERMONT ZONES ADJACENT TO THE CONNECTICUT
RIVER VALLEY.  HAVE THUS KEPT CENTRAL...FAR NORTHEASTERN AND SOUTH
CENTRAL VERMONT ACCUMULATIONS IN THE 2 TO 4 INCH RANGE.

SNOW TAPERS TO SCATTERED EVENING SHOWERS LINGERING ONLY IN EASTERN
VERMONT...THEN CLEARING WILL OCCUR THROUGH THE NIGHT FROM NORTHWEST
TO SOUTHEAST.  FRESH SNOW COVER AND SOME DECOUPLING OF THE WINDS...
ESPECIALLY IN NORTHERN NEW YORK...WILL ALLOW FOR SOME SUB-ZERO MIN
TEMPERATURES.  BELIEVE THAT THE NORTH WINDS WILL HOLD UP ENOUGH FOR
MOST VERMONT LOCATIONS TO BE NEAR OR ABOVE ZERO.  SUNNY WITH A
WARMING TREND ON MONDAY INTO TUESDAY AS THE SURFACE RIDGE FLOATS
ACROSS THE REGION.  SURFACE GRADIENT STILL LIGHT ENOUGH FOR GOOD
RADIATIONAL COOLING MONDAY NIGHT...ALTHOUGH ETA/AVN BRING IN SOME
THICK CIRRUS SO HAVE NOT DROPPED MIN TEMPERATURES QUITE AS COLD AS
THEY POTENTIALLY COULD BE WITH CLEAR SKIES.

STILL LOOKS MILD WITH RAIN MOVING IN ON WEDNESDAY...CHANGING TO
SNOW SHOWERS ON THURSDAY AS THE FLOW GETS QUITE PROGRESSIVE OVER
NORTH AMERICA.  NO CHANGES TO DAYS 4 TO 7 OF THE FORECAST.

ST. JEAN

.BTV...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NYZ026>031-034-VTZ001>003-006 TODAY.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Addison

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Addison forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.031, -73.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Caledonia

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Caledonia forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.465, -72.102 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Chittenden

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Chittenden forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.461, -73.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Essex

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Essex forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.728, -71.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Franklin

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.858, -72.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Grand Isle

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Grand Isle forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.797, -73.295 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Lamoille

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Lamoille forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.606, -72.641 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Orange

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Orange forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.006, -72.377 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Orleans

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Orleans forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.829, -72.244 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Rutland

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Rutland forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.580, -73.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Washington

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.273, -72.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Windsor

When: February 17, 5:30 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where: Windsor forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Vermont in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Vermont, February 2002

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: 5281210, 5281211, 5281212, 5281213, 5281214, 5281215, 5281216, 5281217, 5281218, 5281219, 5281220, 5281221.