Winter Storm in Vermont, January 31, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Vermont, January 31, 2002
Start: 2002-01-31T21:00
End: 2002-01-31T23:59
Location: Vermont

January 31, 2002 · NWS BTV · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Low pressure over the Ohio valley Thursday evening, January 31st moved northeast into southern Canada during Friday, February 1st. Snow overspread the area during the afternoon of January 31st.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

Low pressure over the Ohio valley Thursday evening, January 31st moved northeast into southern Canada during Friday, February 1st. Snow overspread the area during the afternoon of January 31st. The snow mixed with sleet during the late night of the 31st. The mixed precipitation continued into February 1st as sleet and freezing rain changing to freezing rain then just rain by the afternoon of February 1st. Snow accumulations were generally 5 to 8 inches with 1/4 of an inch of ice on top of the snow creating dangerous winter conditions. In Worcester (Washington county) 1 to 3 inches of sleet was reported. A few accumulation reports of snowfall were: Both Groton (Caledonia county) and Waitsfield (Washington county) reported 8 inches. Morrisville (Lamoille county) reported 7 inches while Greensboro in Orleans county received 6 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 Jan 31, 4:37 PM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 4:37 PM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes before

NYZ026>031-034-035-VTZ001>012-010330-

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
437 PM EST THU JAN 31 2002

WL CONTINUE WINTER STORM WARNINGS FOR ENTIRE FA TONITE THRU FRI.
HAVE ALREADY RCVD SNOW TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES IN PARTS OF FA. WL
GO WITH 6 TO 10 INCHES ALL ZONES...WITH SOME ICE ACCUMULATION
TO FOLLOW. ICE ACCUM MOST AREAS NOT EXPECTED TO EXCEED A HALF INCH.

MODELS STILL DIFFER IN THEIR SOLUTION OF TRACK OF SFC LOW MOVG
OUT OF OH VLY...ALTHO AVN NOW TRENDING A BIT MORE TWRD EARLIER ETA IN
TRACKING LOW A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH. ETA TRACK IS JUST NORTH OF FA...
AVN JUST TO SOUTH. FAVOR RESULT CLOSER TO AVN...ALTHO EVEN THIS
SOLUTION ALLOWS FOR AMPLE WARMER AIR TO SURGE IN ALOFT TONITE/FRI AM
FOR CHNGOVR TO SLEET AND THEN FRZG RAIN. CHNGOVR TO RAIN MAY OCCUR
DURING FRI. LLVL COLD AIR WL BE TOUGHEST TO DISPLACE IN ST LWR VLY
AND NE KINGDOM.

ALL MODELS HAVE COLD AIR RETURNING LATER FRI PM/EVEN...RESULTING IN
PCPN CHANGING BACK TO SNOW SHWRS. SOME ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION PSBL
FRI NITE...ESPEC OVR HIR TRRN. COLD AND DRY WX TO FOLLOW ON SAT.

EXTENDED: LOW PRES APRCHS FROM GRTLKS SUNDAY RESULTING IN CHC LGT
SNOW LATER SUN THRU MONDAY. DRY WX WL FOLLOW FOR TUE/WED.
SEASONABLY COLD WX THRU THE PERIOD.

.BTV...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY FOR
       VTZ001>012-NYZ026>031-034-035.

RJS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Caledonia

When: January 31, 9:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Caledonia forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.465, -72.102 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Essex

When: January 31, 9:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Essex forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.728, -71.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lamoille

When: January 31, 9:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Lamoille forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.606, -72.641 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Orleans

When: January 31, 9:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Orleans forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.829, -72.244 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington

When: January 31, 9:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.273, -72.615 (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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5279824, 5279825, 5279826, 5279827, 5279828.