Flash flood risk remains in Vermont, with heaviest rains expected Wednesday night

Exactly where the worst of the storm will strike is still uncertain, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.

By Juan Vega de Soto
July 9, 2024, 2:33 pm

https://vtdigger.org/2024/07/09/flash-flood-risk-remains-in-vermont-with-heaviest-rains-expected-wednesday-night/



A map of expected precipitation levels across Vermont and parts of New York. Image via National Weather Service

Updated at 5:49 p.m.

As the last spasms of Tropical Storm Beryl head toward Vermont — a year after last summer’s devastating floods — meteorologists are increasingly confident that the incoming clouds will loosen a quick, heavy downpour on the state.

So quick, in fact, that the storm appears unlikely to result in the widespread flooding of last July, according to a forecast issued Tuesday morning by the National Weather Service. Rather, it is more likely to cause flash floods wherever rain is heaviest.

“Last year it was a marathon. This year it’s more of a sprint,” said Robert Haynes, a meteorologist at the Burlington branch of the National Weather Service.

The bulk of the rain is expected to fall Wednesday afternoon and night, according to the forecast, with most of the state getting 1-3 inches. That’s a far cry from the 3-9 inches that fell over two days last July. The issue this time around, according to Haynes, is that the rain is likely to strike in a shorter, 6- to 12-hour window.
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