On August 1st, an area of low pressure moved across central Vermont which provided the focus for thunderstorms during the late afternoon and night time hours. In addition, westerly flow in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere steered thunderstorms repeatedly over the same locations (called training) in Washington County.
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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 August 1st, an area of low pressure moved across central Vermont which provided the focus for thunderstorms during the late afternoon and night time hours. In addition, westerly flow in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere steered thunderstorms repeatedly over the same locations (called training) in Washington County.
Localized rainfall of upwards of 3 inches of rain fell in the Northfield Mountain Range. Excessive runoff from the heavy rainfall led to flash flooding in the form of washed out roads in Barre and Moretown during the overnight of August 1st into August 2nd.
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 Aug 1, 7:03 PM EST, 3 hours 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 803 PM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT...RESULTING IN A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND DURING THE EARLY EVENING. MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED OVER THE WEEKEND AS A STRONGER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES EAST ACROSS THE REGION. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... AS OF 755 PM EDT FRIDAY...A QUICK UPDATE TO THE FORECAST TO PUT THUNDERSTORMS IN FOR THE OVERNIGHT. WATER VAPOR SHOWING SHORTWAVE TROF MOVING OVER AREA...AND LEFT FRONT QUAD OF UPPER JET OVER AREA AS WELL. ALSO UPDATED TEMPS WITH LATEST LAV GUIDANCE...OTHERWISE NO CHANGES. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 400 PM EDT FRIDAY...LARGE CUTOFF LOW WILL MAKE ITS WAY SOUTHEAST AND CUTOFF OVER OUR AREA THIS WEEKEND. CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL START IN OUR WESTERN ZONE SATURDAY MORNING AND OVERSPREAD THE REGION BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. HAVE GONE WITH CATEGORICAL POPS BECAUSE OF HIGH MODEL CONTINUITY AND CURRENT TRENDS OF THE UPPER LOW WHICH IS NOW CENTERED NORTH OF THE GREAT LAKES. WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED AND HAVE MENTIONED CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THIS SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY BEFORE LOW TRACKS NORTH AND EAST...THEN OFF THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND BY SUNDAY NIGHT. HIGH TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND WILL BE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL BECAUSE OF CLOUDS AND SHOWERS...JUST IN THE UPPER 70S. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL...IN THE LOWER 60S. BY THE TIME THE ROUGHLY 36 HOURS OF SHOWERS HAS ENDED A HALF AN INCH TO AN INCH AND A HALF OF QPF IS EXPECTED. HYDRO CONCERNS WILL BE CONSIDERED AND MONITORED. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 245 PM EDT FRIDAY...FOR THE THIRD DAY IN A ROW EXCELLENT CONTINUITY EXISTS BETWEEN THE GFS AND THE ECMWF WITH RESPECT TO SYNOPTIC SCALE FEATURES. IN ADDITION...ENSEMBLE DATA SHOWS ALL MEMBERS VERY SIMILAR AND THIS JUST ADDS EVEN MORE CONFIDENCE TO POSITIONING OF SYNOPTIC SCALE FEATURES. LOOK FOR UPPER TROUGH AXIS TO BE EAST OF THE REGION MONDAY...BUT EASTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA WILL STILL SEE SOME CHANCE OF SHOWERS GIVEN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE TROUGH. OTHERWISE...LOOK FOR NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT TO DEVELOP MONDAY NIGHT WITH FLOW GRADUALLY BACKING TO THE WEST ON TUESDAY. THIS SHOULD BE A RELATIVELY DRY PERIOD. THIS WILL BE A SHORT LIVED SITUATION AS STRONGER UPPER TROUGH BEGINS TO GET CARVED OUT OVER THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES AND THIS WILL PUT THE REGION IN SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND INCREASING DYNAMIC SUPPORT FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THUS WILL NEED TO INCLUDE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY TIME FRAME ALONG WITH TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS. && .AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY...ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA DURING THIS PERIOD ALLOWING FOR MORE SHRA/TSTMS...WITH VFR TEMPO IFR CONDITIONS IN ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY. SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL BE SCATTERED IN NATURE OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWA TONIGHT...SO WENT WITH TEMPO SHOWER ACTIVITY IN ALL TAFS EXCEPT KRUT. OVERALL LOOKING AT LIGHT WINDS AND THIS SHOULD LEAD TO SOME PATCHY FOG...ESPECIALLY AT KSLK AND KMPV WHERE FOG WILL LIKELY RESULT IN LIFR CONDITIONS BETWEEN 08Z AND 12Z. AFTER 12Z...VFR CONDITIONS WILL BE PREDOMINATE WITH UPPER TROUGH APPROACHING THE REGION...EXPECT SOME SHOWERS TO DEVELOP AFTER 15Z...BUT THE GREATEST IMPACT TO AVIATION OPS WILL BE AFT 20Z AS SHOWER ACTIVITY BECOMES MORE WIDESPREAD. COULD HAVE PREDOMINATE MVFR CONDITIONS BY THE END OF THIS PERIOD. 00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...ABOUT A 12 HOUR PERIOD OF RAIN IS EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT WITH THE PRECIPITATION FAIRLY WIDESPREAD. THIS WILL LEAD TO MVFR CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES. THESE CONDITIONS SHOULD LAST INTO SUNDAY MORNING AND THAT IS WHEN THE UPPER TROUGH WILL EXIT THE REGION. THUS IMPROVING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED BY SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF MONDAY. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS PERIOD...EXCEPT FOR EVENING FOG...BUT MAY GO BRIEFLY MVFR MONDAY AFTERNOON AS SOME SHOWERS DEVELOP. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR TUESDAY...BUT THEN ANOTHER LARGE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION AND BRING BACK THE THREAT FOR MORE PRECIPITATION. THIS WILL RESULT IN A RETURN TO MVFR CONDITIONS BY WEDNESDAY. && .BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...NONE. NY...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JAN NEAR TERM...HANSON SHORT TERM...JAN LONG TERM...EVENSON AVIATION...EVENSON/DUMONT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 343 AM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008 NYZ026>031-034-035-087-VTZ001>012-016>019-020745- 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- 343 AM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK...CENTRAL VERMONT...NORTHEAST VERMONT...NORTHWEST VERMONT AND SOUTHERN VERMONT. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 658 PM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008 NYZ035-VTZ001-002-005-006-008-017-020000- LAMOILLE-WASHINGTON-EASTERN CHITTENDEN-WESTERN CHITTENDEN-EASTERN ESSEX-GRAND ISLE-WESTERN FRANKLIN- INCLUDING...BURLINGTON...ESSEX JUNCTION...SOUTH BURLINGTON AND WINOOSKI 658 PM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008 AT 652 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM MALLETTS BAY TO SHELBURNE POINT... MOVING EAST AT 17 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR WINOOSKI...COLCHESTER BY 710 PM...NEAR HINESBURG...ESSEX JUNCTION BY 720 PM...NEAR WESTFORD...WILLISTON BY 730 PM...NEAR RICHMOND...JERICHO BY 740 PM...NEAR HUNTINGTON AND JONESVILLE BY 750 PM. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE 30 TO 40 MPH WIND GUSTS AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. SEEK SHELTER INDOORS. HANSON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 756 PM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008 VTZ002-003-005-006-016-017-020100- LAMOILLE-EASTERN CHITTENDEN-WESTERN CHITTENDEN-WESTERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN FRANKLIN-ORLEANS- INCLUDING...MORRISVILLE 756 PM EDT FRI AUG 1 2008 AT 748 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORMS OVER UNDERHILL STATE PARK...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE 9 MILES SOUTH OF WATERVILLE BY 810 PM...5 MILES SOUTH OF JOHNSON BY 830 PM...NEAR MORRISVILLE...HYDE PARK BY 840 PM...9 MILES SOUTH OF EDEN BY 850 PM AND NEAR WOLCOTT BY 900 PM. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS PRODUCING FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING...WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. SEEK SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE. MOTORIST SHOULD USE CAUTION DUE TO PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. DD
The Burlington radar (KCXX), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:43 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Excessive runoff from heavy thunderstorm rains washed out several dirt roads and damaged others in Berlin (Muzzy, West Hill and Chase roads)|and Moretown (Jones Brook road).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Vermont in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Vermont, August 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: 130598.