On December 9th, arctic high pressure was located east of New York and New England, but sub-freezing temperatures remained in the northern St. Lawrence Valley due to cold, northeast low-level flow from Quebec.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS BTV wrote it up.
On December 9th, arctic high pressure was located east of New York and New England, but sub-freezing temperatures remained in the northern St. Lawrence Valley due to cold, northeast low-level flow from Quebec. Meanwhile, southwest flow at mid-levels helped deliver mild, moist air into northern New York.
The mild, moist flow aloft caused the precipitation to initially fall as liquid, but sub-freezing air near the surface allowed the liquid to fall in the form of freezing rain during the evening of the 9th through the morning of the 10th.
Ice accumulation of 1/4 to just under 1/2 inch was observed in the St. Lawrence River valley of northern St. Lawrence and northern Franklin counties. Numerous vehicle accidents and scattered power outages resulted from this ice accumulation.
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 Dec 9, 7:21 PM EST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 721 PM EST TUE DEC 9 2008 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND ITS ASSOCIATED FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL CROSS THE AREA TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO RAIN TONIGHT...THEN BACK TO SNOW DURING WEDNESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN WEDNESDAY NIGHT. LOW PRESSURE WILL THEN TRACK NORTHEAST FROM THE CAROLINAS ON THURSDAY...AND MAY BRING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION TO PORTIONS OF THE NORTH COUNTRY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... AS OF 400 PM EST TUESDAY...ELONGATED AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS ERN GRTLKS THIS PM WILL TRACK UP THRU ST LWR VLY TONIGHT. STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW IN ADVANCE OF THIS SYSTEM HAS ALLOWED FOR SIGNIFICANT WARMING ACRS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA. HOWEVER...COLD AIR RMNS TRAPPED IN THE NRN PORTION OF THE ST LWR VLY AND IN PORTIONS OF ERN VT. IT WILL GRADUALLY BECOME SCOURED OUT OF THESE REGIONS AS WELL TONIGHT...SO EXPECT AREAS OF SNOW AND FRZG RAIN TO CHANGE TO RAIN. ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS OF SNOW AND/OR ICE EXPECTED TO BE RATHER MINOR. BULK OF PCPN THAT MOVES THRU OVRNGHT EXPECTED TO FALL AS RAIN. UNTREATED ROAD SURFACES MAY RMN SLICK HOWEVER...EVEN WITH TEMPS ABOVE FREEZING. STRONG SOUTHERLY JET CONTINUES TONIGHT...EXPECT SOME GUSTY WINDS IN THE CHMPLN VLY AND OVER THE HIR TRRN...BUT BELOW ANY ADVISORY CRITERIA. TEMPS TONIGHT WILL BE LOWEST IN MOST AREAS EARLY...THEN STEADY OR RISING OVRNGHT. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 400 PM EST TUESDAY...CDFNT WILL MOVE ACRS FA BTWN 12Z-18Z WED. AS COLDER AIR ADVECTS INTO FA BEHIND THE FRONT...EXPECT RAIN TO CHANGE BACK TO SNOW...AND THEN TAPER TO SNOW SHWRS DURING THE PM. AMOUNT OF PCPN THAT OCCURS AS SNOW ON WED NOT EXPECTED TO BE SIGNIFICANT...GENERALLY A QUARTER INCH OR LESS...RESULTING IN A COUPLE OF INCHES OF SNOW. MAX TEMPS WILL BE EARLY IN THE DAY...WITH MOST LOCALES FALLING INTO THE 20S TO AROUND 30 DURING THE PM. THE LIGHT SNOW ACCUM COMBINED WITH FALLING TEMPS MAY RESULT IN SOME RATHER HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS FOR THE EVENING COMMUTE. SNOW SHWRS EXPECTED TO COME TO AN END WED NITE FROM NW TO SE AS HIGH PRESSURE ATTEMPTS TO BUILD INTO THE AREA. THE BREAK IN THE PCPN APPEARS AS IF IT WILL BE RATHER SHORT LIVED...AS MODELS NOW INDICATING THE POTENTIAL FOR A RATHER SIGNIFICANT STORM THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. LOW PRESSURE EXPECTED TO LIFT NORTHEAST OUT OF GEORGIA WED NITE INTO THE DELMARVA REGION BY LATER THURS AND THEN INTO THE GULF OF MAINE FRIDAY. DIFFERENCES BTWN MODELS AS TO THE SPEED AND EXACT TRACK OF THIS LOW HOWEVER...SO QPF AND EVEN PTYPE ARE UNCERTAIN ATTM. HAVE GONE CLOSE TO HPC GUIDANCE (SIMILAR TO EARLIER ECMWF)...WHICH LOOKS CLOSE TO A BLEND OF THE FAST NAM AND THE SLOWER GFS. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE EVENT IS NOT EXPECTED TO UNFOLD UNTIL LATE FOURTH AND FIFTH PERIODS...HAVE HELD OFF ON A WATCH ATTM...BUT FUTURE SHIFTS WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS POSSIBILITY. MOST SIGNIFICANT QPF EXPECTED TO BE OVER ERN HALF OF CWA...WHERE PTYPE IS ALSO A CONCERN. SHOULD BE ENOUGH COLD AIR IN LLVLS...SO PTYPE SHUD BE MAINLY FROZEN OR FREEZING. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 400 PM EST TUESDAY...PRECIPITATION ONGOING AT THE START OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES ALONG THE EAST COAST. THERE/S A FAIR AMOUNT OF UNCERTAINTY BETWEEN THE MODELS ON EXACT TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF THE LOW FRIDAY. THE GFS HAS THE LOW CENTERED OFF THE NEW JERSEY COAST AT 12Z...THE 00Z ECMWF HAS IT OVER CENTRAL MAINE...AND THE NAM JUST SOUTH OF THE MAINE COAST. GIVEN THESE DISCREPANCIES...LEANED TOWARDS HPC GUIDANCE WHICH PREFERRED THE ECMWF FOR THE FIRST FEW PERIODS. THEN FOLLOWED THE GFS FROM 00Z SUNDAY ONWARD. TEMPERATURES WILL BE 20S ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA FRIDAY...AND EXPECT PRECIPITATION TO FALL AS SNOW FRIDAY AND TAPER OFF TO SHOWERS FRIDAY NIGHT. THERE MAY BE SOME LINGERING MIXED PRECIPITATION ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA FRIDAY MORNING...BUT THIS SHOULD BE SHORT LIVED AND LOCALIZED IN NATURE. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE COLD FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY MORNING AS 850MB TEMPS DROP TO -16C BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. GENERALLY EXPECT MIN TEMPS TO BOTTOM OUT IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO AREAWIDE. EXPECT CHILLY AND DRY WEATHER FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEKEND AS CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE NORTHEAST US SATURDAY AND LINGERS THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. A CLIPPER-TYPE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SLIDE ACROSS THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES AND INTO SOUTHERN ONTARIO SUNDAY. EXPECT SOUTHWEST FLOW TO SET UP ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA SUNDAY...AND WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL LEAD TO THE CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS NORTHERN SECTIONS. HIGH TEMPS WILL BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S SUNDAY...SO SNOW MAY MIX WITH AND CHANGE TO RAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE BIGGER VALLEYS. THE COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW PRESSURE WILL BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY SUNDAY NIGHT AND WILL HOVER JUST NORTH OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER THROUGH MONDAY. AS SUCH...THE CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE IN NORTHERN ZONES INTO THE WORK WEEK. AGAIN...MAX TEMPS WILL AGAIN BE WARM ENOUGH ON MONDAY FOR A RAIN/SNOW MIX IN THE TYPICALLY WARMER LOCALES. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL RIDE ALONG THE STATIONARY FRONT MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...ALLOWING SNOW SHOWERS TO OVERSPREAD THE ENTIRE REGION. && .AVIATION /00Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... THROUGH 00Z THURSSDAY...VFR FORECAST CONTINUES FOR FIRST FEW HOURS OF THE TAF PERIOD THIS EVENING. RADAR SHOWING A PRECIP-FREE AREA FOR KBTV-KMPV AND SOUTH FOR A FEW HOURS. UPSTREAM OBS ALL INDICATE CIGS NEAR OR ABV OVC030...SO STARTED OFF WITH MOSTLY VFR FORECAST. LONG SW TO NE PLUME OF MOISTURE AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE REGION...SO KEPT RAIN IN ALL NIGHT. EXCEPTION IS KMSS WHERE SNOW LINGERS WITH PERSISTENT NW FLOW UP THE VALLEY. EXPECT SURFACE TEMPS TO JUMP ABOVE FREEZING AT KMSS WHEN WINDS SHIFT AROUND TO SW...WITH SPEEDY CHANGE IN P-TYPE. COLD FRONT TO ARRIVE KMSS SHORTLY AFT 12Z...AND BE INTO THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY KPBG/KBTV BY 15Z OR SO...AND CLEAR KMPV/KRUT AFT 18Z. PRECIP TO SWITCH BACK TO SNOW AS COLDER AIR MOVES BACK IN. WIND A BIG CONSIDERATION IN 00-12Z TIMEFRAME THIS FORECAST PACKAGE. LOW LEVEL JET OF 50-60KTS TO DEVELOP AT OR ABOVE 2000FT. POTENTIAL FOR VERY STRONG WIND GUSTS MOST SITES...EXCEPT KPBG/KMPV ARE BLOCKED FROM STRONGEST WINDS. BECAUSE OF LIGHTER SURFACE WINDS AT KMPV AND KPBG...FORECAST LLWS FOR DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN SURFACE WINDS AND LOW LEVEL JET ALOFT. ALL SITES CAN EXPECT A BUMPY RIDE ON CLIMBOUT AND FINAL APPROACH. 00Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE REST OF THE WEEK AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM RIDES UP ALONG THE DEPARTING COLD FRONT. PRECIPITATION WILL TAPER TO SNOW SHOWERS OVERNIGHT WED NIGHT. A BRIEF BREAK FROM THE SNOW FOR THURSDAY MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON...THEN MORE SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA BY THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT AND SHOULD FALL MOSTLY AS SNOW. HOWEVER...THERE IS MUCH UNCERTAINTY...AND A MIX OF SLEET/SNOW/RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY AT THE SOUTH/EAST SITES SUCH AS KRUT AND KMPV. FAIR WEATHER WILL RETURN SATURDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO NEW ENGLAND. MVFR CONDITIONS WITH WIDESPREAD IFR CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH MOST OF THE PERIOD...WITH THE MOUNTAIN SITES DROPPING TO LIFR IN ANY HEAVY SNOW. && .EQUIPMENT... THE AWOS (AUTOMATED WEATHER OBSERVING SYSTEM) AT KRUT (RUTLAND- SOUTHERN VERMONT REGIONAL AIRPORT) CONTINUES TO REPORT ERRONEOUS DEW POINT DATA...AND THUS THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY DATA FOR THIS SITE IS ALSO ERRONEOUS. THE FAA HAS MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE AWOS AT KRUT. NO ESTIMATE AT THIS TIME WHEN THE DEW POINT SENSOR AT KRUT CAN BE REPAIRED. && .BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...NONE. NY...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...RJS NEAR TERM...RJS SHORT TERM...RJS LONG TERM...MB AVIATION...HANSON EQUIPMENT...BTV
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 425 PM EST TUE DEC 9 2008 NYZ026>031-034-035-087-VTZ001>012-016>019-101200- NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN CLINTON- SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE-SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-WESTERN CLINTON- WESTERN ESSEX-EASTERN ESSEX-SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE-GRAND ISLE- WESTERN FRANKLIN-ORLEANS-ESSEX-WESTERN CHITTENDEN-LAMOILLE-CALEDONIA- WASHINGTON-WESTERN ADDISON-ORANGE-WESTERN RUTLAND-WINDSOR- EASTERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN CHITTENDEN-EASTERN ADDISON-EASTERN RUTLAND- 425 PM EST TUE DEC 9 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK...CENTRAL VERMONT...NORTHEAST VERMONT...NORTHWEST VERMONT AND SOUTHERN VERMONT. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. LIGHT MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL LINGER THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT ACROSS THE NORTHEAST KINGDOM AND PORTIONS OF THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A MINOR SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATION. THE MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO ALL RAIN WITH AREAS OF FOG BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...AS TEMPERATURES WARM INTO THE 30S ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VERMONT. GIVEN VERY COLD GROUND TEMPERATURES...POCKETS OF ICE WILL EXIST ON UNTREATED ROAD SURFACES THIS EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN VERMONT AND IN THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY...PRODUCING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY. RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW BEFORE TAPERING TO SNOW SHOWERS. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BELOW FREEZING DURING THE DAY. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SIGNIFICANT...ONLY AN INCH OR TWO IN MOST AREAS...BUT THE COMBINATION OF SNOW AND FALLING TEMPERATURES MAY CREATE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. A DEVELOPING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE NORTH COUNTRY. THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW AND/OR ICE WILL BE IN VERMONT. HOWEVER...THE EXACT TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM...ALONG WITH THE TYPE AND PLACEMENT OF THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION...IS STILL UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATER UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SNOW OR ICE ACCUMULATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON VERMONT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 625 PM EST TUE DEC 9 2008 VTZ003-004-006>008-016-100500- ORLEANS-ESSEX-LAMOILLE-CALEDONIA-WASHINGTON-EASTERN FRANKLIN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...NEWPORT...ISLAND POND...JOHNSON... STOWE...ST. JOHNSBURY...MONTPELIER...ENOSBURG FALLS...RICHFORD 625 PM EST TUE DEC 9 2008 ...SLICK ROADS DUE TO FREEZING PRECIPITATION EXPECTED THIS EVENING... AT 6 PM...TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW FREEZING ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER AND MANY VALLEY LOCATIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST VERMONT. MEANWHILE...AN AREA OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING THROUGH THE REGION...WHICH WILL BECOME MORE SPOTTY IN NATURE THROUGH 10 PM. THIS COMBINATION WILL MEAN LIGHT FREEZING RAIN...FREEZING DRIZZLE AND LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 10 PM MAKING FOR SLICK ROADS AND WALKWAYS. IF TRAVELING...PLEASE BEWARE THAT ROADS MAY LOOK WET BUT UNTREATED ROADS ARE LIKELY SLICK AND DRIVE ACCORDINGLY. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO SLOWLY RISE TO ABOVE FREEZING ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST VERMONT BY MIDNIGHT...WHICH SHOULD KEEP ANY FUTURE PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF RAIN. FURTHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND BY GOING ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BURLINGTON. NYZ026>028-031-100500- NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN CLINTON- WESTERN CLINTON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MASSENA...MALONE...PLATTSBURGH... DANNEMORA 625 PM EST TUE DEC 9 2008 ...SLICK ROADS LIKELY ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER OF NORTHERN NEW YORK TONIGHT... AT 6 PM...TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW FREEZING ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER OF NORTHERN NEW YORK. MEANWHILE...AN AREA OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING THROUGH THE REGION...WHICH WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH MIDNIGHT. THIS COMBINATION WILL MEAN LIGHT FREEZING RAIN...FREEZING DRIZZLE AND LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MIDNIGHT...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER OF FRANKLIN COUNTY WEST TO THE GREATER MASSENA VICINITY. SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION OF 1 TO 2 INCHES IS POSSIBLE. IF TRAVELING...PLEASE BEWARE THAT ROADS MAY LOOK WET BUT UNTREATED ROADS ARE LIKELY SLICK AND DRIVE ACCORDINGLY. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO SLOWLY RISE TO ABOVE FREEZING ACROSS THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER AROUND OR AFTER MIDNIGHT...WHICH SHOULD KEEP ANY FUTURE PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF RAIN. FURTHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND BY GOING ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BURLINGTON. SLW
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New York in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, December 2008
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: 141749, 141750.