Vermonters embrace record snowfall

By Edmund DeMarche, CNN
January 4, 2010 2:51 p.m. EST

(CNN) -- Chris Giard's kids figured school was going to be closed. After all, a 40-year-old snowfall record was shattered over the weekend, as Burlington, Vermont, saw some 33.1 inches of snow -- the greatest in its history.

Giard's kids figured that would translate into no school Monday. And they knew just the man to lobby: Giard is the director of facilities for the Burlington School District, the man who makes the decision to close the school because of inclement weather.

But sadly, Giard's children -- and the rest of the 3,600 children in the district -- were packed off to class Monday.

"The city did a great job cleaning the streets," said Giard. "It's Vermont in the winter; we're going to get snow."

Since last week, the National Weather Service had warned Vermonters of the storm poised to strike the Champlain Valley.

iReport: Pizzeria in Cambridge, Vermont, snowed under

It was forecast to arrive on Saturday morning, bringing eight to 14 inches of snow. But a low-pressure storm over Nova Scotia retrograded and moved west toward Maine and New Hampshire, bringing increased moisture, lowered temperatures and strengthened northern winds -- all key ingredients for a lot of snow.

"When you consider all these elements, it's not surprising we got hit with more snow than anticipated," said Eric Evenson, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Burlington, which is perched on the shore of Lake Champlain. "But it wasn't a heavy snow -- it was pretty light and easy to manage."

Vermonters, perhaps accustomed to cold temperatures, seem to have embraced the storm, and call the snow light, fluffy and beautiful.

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http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/weather/01/04/vermont.record.snowfall/

33 inches in Burlington.

there, which is a travesty. Lucky you!

and we got far less than they did- maybe a foot or so.

My brother lives 30 mins south of Burlington, out of the Champlain Valley and in the mtns., and got less than 2".

"The Day the Earth Stood Still". It paralyzed the Cape towns. The towns do not have enough plowing equipment, or do not know how to plow (many plows got stuck).

Total chaos for 24 hours. If I didn't have my 4WD I would have been stranded.