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075 

RWUS32 KBTV 092031

FFSBTV

NYZ026>031-034-035-VTZ001>012-100544-



FLOOD STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT

330 PM EST FRI FEB 9 2001



...ICE JAMS ARE A POSSIBILITY TONIGHT AND EARLY ON SATURDAY...



A DEVELOPING STORM SYSTEM WILL BE TRACKING BY THE REGION TO THE 

NORTH OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AND EARLY ON SATURDAY. THIS SYSTEM/S 

ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL BE SWINGING ACROSS THE NORTH COUNTRY LATE 

TONIGHT AND EARLY ON SATURDAY MORNING. AS OF THIS AFTERNOON...THIS 

STORM HAD DEPOSITED BETWEEN A TENTH AND ABOUT THREE TENTHS OF AN 

INCH OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS. 

MOST OF THIS PRECIPITATION FELL AS SNOW...SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN 

THOUGH. ANY LINGERING POCKETS OF FREEZING RAIN WILL BE CHANGING OVER 

TO JUST PLAIN RAIN INTO THIS EVENING AS TEMPERATURES START TO RISE. 

MORE RAIN SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO DEPOSIT ANOTHER QUARTER TO A HALF 

AN INCH OF RAINFALL OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE 

CHANGING OVER TO SNOW...FROM WEST TO EAST...ACROSS NORTHERN NEW YORK 

AND VERMONT BY EARLY ON SATURDAY MORNING AS THE COLD FRONT QUICKLY 

PASSES THROUGH. 



AS OF THIS MORNING...GREATER THAN A FOOT OR TWO OF SNOW WAS ON THE 

GROUND ACROSS A LARGE EXPANSE OF NORTHERN NEW YORK AND VERMONT. AS 

MUCH AS TWO TO FIVE INCHES OF WATER WAS LOCKED IN THIS SNOWPACK AS 

WELL. WARMER TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH RAINFALL WILL CAUSE SOME OF 

THIS SNOW TO MELT...AND THE WATER FROM THE SNOW WILL BE RUNNING OFF 

INTO AREA WATERWAYS OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AND EARLY ON SATURDAY. THIS 

WILL CAUSE RIVERS AND STREAMS TO RISE SLIGHTLY OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AND 

MAY CAUSE ANY ICE TO BREAKUP AND START TO MOVE. 



SMALL RISES HAVE BEEN NOTED ON THE SARANAC AND GREAT CHAZY RIVERS IN 

NORTHERN NEW YORK AND ON THE OTTER CREEK AND WINOOSKI RIVER IN 

VERMONT TODAY. THESE WATERWAYS...ALONG WITH MANY OTHER SMALLER 

RIVERS AND STREAMS ACROSS NORTHERN NEW YORK AND VERMONT...WILL BE AT 

RISK FOR THE FORMATION OF ICE JAMS THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. 



ICE JAMS CAN RESULT IN A RAPID RISE IN WATER LEVELS UPSTREAM OF THE

JAM. ICE JAMS NORMALLY FORM IN AREAS WHERE THE RIVER BENDS OR NARROWS

OR WHERE THE FLOW OF WATER IS RESTRICTED BY MANMADE OBJECTS SUCH AS A

BRIDGE. THE ONSET OF FLOODING IS OFTEN RAPID AND CAN BE DEVASTATING.



IN ADDITION...PONDING OF RAINFALL AND MELTWATER ON AREA ROADS WILL 

BE A PROBLEM OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AND INTO EARLY SATURDAY BEFORE THE 

TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW FREEZING AND THINGS HARDEN UP. 



BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE

DANGERS OF FLOODING. AVOID DRIVING INTO WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH...LOW 

WATER CROSSINGS AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS. IF YOU ARE TRAVELING NEAR 

RIVERS OR STREAMS...USE CAUTION AS SOME ROADS AND LOW-LYING AREAS 

MAY BE COVERED BY WATER. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS A FLOODED ROAD.



STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST

INFORMATION ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.



$$



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