Lillian Thurston, middle, of White River Junction, and her grandson Tyler Thurston, 17, right, lift a bucket of sand into their truck as Rich Gombar, of White River Junction, left, fills his buckets at the Hartford Public Works Department on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. They were preparing for a winter storm forecast to bring high winds and rain to the region on Friday before a hard freeze Friday night and a flood watch extending into Saturday. "I hope this one doesn't go like the last one," said Lillian Thurston, who was out of power for two-and-a-half days after last week's heavy wet snow. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Lillian Thurston, middle, of White River Junction, and her grandson Tyler Thurston, 17, right, lift a bucket of sand into their truck as Rich Gombar, of White River Junction, left, fills his buckets at the Hartford Public Works Department on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. They were preparing for a winter storm forecast to bring high winds and rain to the region on Friday before a hard freeze Friday night and a flood watch extending into Saturday. "I hope this one doesn't go like the last one," said Lillian Thurston, who was out of power for two-and-a-half days after last week's heavy wet snow. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Credit: valley news — James M. Patterson

A nationwide winter storm is expected to reach Vermont on Friday, bringing extremely high winds and flood risks throughout the state, according to the National Weather Service. The storm’s arrival coincides with the start of the holiday travel season.

Brooke Taber, a meteorologist for the agency, said the coming storm was comparable to a Category 1 hurricane.

Wind gusts are expected to reach over 60 miles per hour in many parts of the state, leading power companies to warn Vermonters that electricity outages are not just possible, but likely.

“Winds are expected to take down trees and power lines, causing widespread and numerous power outages,” Vermont Electric Cooperative said in a press release Wednesday.

The forecast comes only a week after roughly a foot of snow fell on parts of Vermont, leaving over 100,000 Vermonters without power. Green Mountain Power said in a press release Wednesday that the previous storm was the “third-worst” seen in “generations.” It plans to keep out-of-state crews on hand in Vermont to deal with the coming outages.

The storm will begin causing snow in the region late on Thursday, with 2 to 6 inches expected in the highest terrain of central and southern Vermont, Taber said.

However, the main hazards of Friday’s storm will be heavy winds, with 25 to 35 miles per hour winds gusting up to 50 to 70 miles per hour on the western slopes of the Green Mountains, Taber said. Those winds pose particular risk to high-profile vehicles such as tractor-trailer trucks.

Flooding from rain and snowmelt is also a concern on Friday, Taber said. A flood watch is in effect for portions of central and southern Vermont, although the flooding is expected to be “very localized.”

Then on Friday night, temperatures are expected to drop from the mid-40s and 50s to the single digits or teens, according to the National Weather Service, leading to icy conditions.

Taber said extreme turbulence and wind shear could cause delays or cancellations at Burlington International Airport on Friday.

Amtrak has canceled its Ethan Allen Express service and Vermonter service in Vermont for Friday due to concerns about tree hazards, VTrans told VtDigger on Thursday. The trains will come into Vermont as scheduled on Thursday and operate normally on Friday south of Albany, N.Y., and Springfield, Mass., respectively.

“Last week’s snowstorm caused many trees to fall on the track, resulting in trains being stuck in isolated areas, with waiting times of as long as three hours for trees to be removed,” rail director Dan Delabruere said in an emailed statement. “Amtrak is being proactive with the coming storm instead of stranding customers.”

VTrans advised drivers to stay off the roads on Friday and early Saturday morning. Maintenance crews have been cutting hazard trees and opening up drainage ways in preparation for the storm, it said via email.

If you are considering traveling for Christmas, Taber said, your best plan for driving would be to “hold off until Saturday,” when road crews have had a chance to put treatments down on the roads.

“The brunt of the storm will be over by Saturday,” he said. “We’ll just be dealing with cold wind chills and chilly temperatures.”

Vermont Emergency Management said in a press release Wednesday that Vermonters should be prepared with charged electronics, fully fueled vehicles, flashlights, nonperishable food, water, medical devices and a first-aid kit.

People should also have a plan for where to go if they need to evacuate their homes, the agency advised. The 211 phone line can provide a list of local warming shelters. A full list of winter safety resources is available here.

Green Mountain Power said Vermonters should be ready to report power outages through the organization’s website or phone app.

The emergency management agency said you should clear drainage points like storm drains if you can do so safely to allow melting snow to flow freely. It also advised Vermonters to clear off blocked heating vents that could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Taber said Christmas decorations should be secured or taken inside.