The rain that fell Thursday night and Friday might have crushed dreams of a white Christmas and caused a little flooding.
But it also appears to have improved the drought conditions that had led to crop losses and dry wells over the summer and fall.
John Goff, the lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Burlington, said his office planned to recommend reducing the drought status for most of Vermont.
As of Thursday, most of Orange and Windsor counties in Vermont and Grafton and Sullivan counties in New Hampshire, were still facing “moderate drought” conditions according to the National Drought Monitor.
The rain and temperatures in the 50s, which melted much of the record snowfall from the week before, has eased those conditions, Goff said. When the new national drought map is released this Thursday, much of Vermont and New Hampshire will likely be listed as “abnormally dry,” a step below drought conditions.
“That’s going to be my recommendation in the week to come,” Goff said Saturday.
The Twin States were first labeled “abnormally dry” in June, and as the drought worsened through the summer and fall conditions progressed to “moderate” and in some areas “severe” drought.
In the fall, communities urged residents to reduce their water usage, and rural residents saw wells run dry. In November, Vermont issued a disaster declaration for farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture did the same for New Hampshire farmers.
A handful of Upper Valley communities contended with flooding on Christmas Day. Water surged over roadways in several towns, including Route 12A in Cornish, Route 44 in Windsor and Route 106 in Weathersfield, all communities where snow cover was the thickest.
Weathersfield closed Little Ascutney Road, Amsden Schoolhouse Road and Lottery Lane on Friday morning, Town Manager Brandon Gulnick said Saturday. Several other roads experienced flooding and ditch or culvert damage.
By Saturday afternoon, only Little Ascutney Road remained closed between Lottery Lane and Route 106 where North Branch Brook had flooded.
Town officials will determine this week whether to seek a disaster declaration.
“The emergency management director and I are meeting Monday morning to assess that,” Gulnick said.
The town’s road crew had to contend with nearly four feet of snow, then the flooding a week later, Gulnick noted.
Alex Hanson can be reached at ahanson@vnews.com or 603-727-3207.
