Vermont, 2002

Winter Storm in Vermont, January 31, 2002

January 31, 2002 · NWS ALY · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An area of low pressure, in the Ohio Valley, developed along a strong stationary boundary on January 31. The storm then tracked northeast through the Saint Lawrence Valley by the end of the day and month.

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
None recorded
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 ALY wrote it up.

An area of low pressure, in the Ohio Valley, developed along a strong stationary boundary on January 31. The storm then tracked northeast through the Saint Lawrence Valley by the end of the day and month. With cold shallow air in place over Southern Vermont, and warm moist air being forced over the cold dome, the stage was set for a potpourri of wintry precipitation. Snow and sleet developed across Southern Vermont during the morning hours of the 31st. The combination of snow and sleet, followed by freezing rain, produced over half an inch of water equivalent. The accumulation of snow and sleet ranged between 1 and 5 inches. A light coating of icing accumulated on top of that, making for extremely hazardous travel and diffiiculty in removing the frozen/freezing precipitation.

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 Albany, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 11:04 AM EST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 11:04 AM EST, 1 hour 56 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
1100 AM EST THUD JAN 31 2002

.DISC...WL UPDATE ZONES TO DECREASE SNOW AMOUNTS IN ALL ZONES.
PCPN NOT AS HEAVY AS EXPECTED THIS MRNG...WHEN MOST OF THE SNOW
ACCUMULATION WAS EXPECTED TO OCCUR.  PCPN ALSO EXPECTED TO BE
LIGHTER THAN EARLIER THOUGH ACRS THE EXTREME SRN TIER OF
COUNTIES...SO WL REDUCE THE WINTER STORM WRNG THERE TO A WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY.

.ALY...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THIS AFTN AND TNGT FOR ULSTER...
       DUTCHESS AND LITCHFIELD COUNTIES.

       WINTER STORM WARNINGS THIS AFTN AND TNGT ALL OTHER COUNTIES.

MAGLARAS

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 31, 11:34 AM EST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
NEW YORK STATEWIDE POLICE INFORMATION NETWORK
TROOP K
1133AM     THU JAN 31 2002
#2 0710712 071
KCSO WLSR KCLA KCEC
00324    FILE 28   COLUMBIA CO SO NY0100000                  JAN 31-02
TO       A T T N  / SP CLAV 911 CENTER

REF TO TEL/TYPE MSG. 00322 - COLUMBIA COUNTY RTE 19 FROM COLUMBIA COUNTY RTE 8
TO WHITE OAK RD IN THE TWN OF  LIVINGSTON IS NOW OPEN

AUTH DEP EC PORRECA
OPER - PORRECA,EDWARD C               1136

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, Bennington

When
January 31, 1:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Bennington forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.036, -73.093 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Windham

When
January 31, 1:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Windham forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.991, -72.714 (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

More

Every storm in Vermont in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Vermont, January 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: 5279742, 5279743.