Vermont
It was a crazy weather year in Vermont. Times 2023 made or neared record-making stats.
The Winooski River raging in downtown Winooski due to flood emergency
The Winooski River was raging in downtown Winooski around 6:30pm on July 10, as heavy rainfall causes a flood emergency in many parts of Vermont.
Lilly St. Angelo and April Fisher, Burlington Free Press
Vermont made at least one weather record and neared others as it closed out 2023.
The past year saw an abundance of extreme highs and lows, totals and natural disasters indicating climate change is impacting not only the treasured landscape but also the economy and well-being of Vermonters.
In 2023, a warmer winter was followed by a hard freeze during the spring that took out a significant portion of the state’s apple and stone fruit crop. A wet summer raised the water table and saturated the ground while hazy wildfire smoke from Canada hovered over the area and affected air quality on multiple days. The Great Vermont Flood of July 2023 claimed two lives and caused millions in damage, including to the state’s capital city, Montpelier. Precipitation in December, which is usually in the form of snow, turned to rain melting the early snow pack and causing flooding across the state, once again. Vermont ended the year with days of dense fog, limiting visibility.
Hottest year ever
Last year, 2023, was the hottest year on record, according to the National Weather Service Burlington office, which covers much of Vermont and northern New York state. The average mean temperature reached 50 degrees for the year, a first ever for the region.
The record beat out 49.9 degrees which had been held since 2012. An indicator of a warming planet, a majority of the top 10 years come from the past decade. Sharing the third hottest year is 2020 and 2021; 2016 and 2017 are listed as the fifth and sixth hottest; 2022 takes seventh on the list; and 2018 rounds out the tenth hottest year on record at 48 degrees, making the spread two degrees between the top ten.
December neared records
Early snowfall on Oct. 16 at Mount Mansfield and subsequent snows had ski resorts across the region opening earlier than normal for the season. And a three-inch-and-more snow storm for many areas on Dec. 10 seemed to herald a winter full of abundant snowfall. However, the weather quickly shifted.
December was odd and made its own run at records: “2023’s December will be remembered for the early season snow that gave way to very warm conditions and snowmelt, followed by flooding rain, and then a prolonged stretch of fog,” wrote the National Weather Service on X.
Comparing past December totals, Burlington and St. Johnsbury hit their second highest average temperature for the month, while Montpelier hit its third warmest in recorded history.
Burlington’s average temperature of 35 degrees was 6.8 degrees above normal for the time period. St. Johnsbury was 6.9 degrees above average at 32 degrees. Montpelier was 7 degrees warmer than normal for December at 30.2 degrees.
Consequently, snowfall neared record lows while rainfall was elevated. At 2.9 inches of snow, Burlington had it’s 8th lowest snowfall totals for the month. Normally, Burlington receives 19.5 inches in December.
At 5.78 inches of precipitation, this December was Burlington’s second wettest. For St. Johnsbury at 5.61 inches, it was the NEK city’s fourth wettest on record.
Had the temperatures been slightly colder, it’s possible much of the rain would have fallen as snow. This may have prevented December flooding in areas like Waitsfield and given the region a white Christmas.
You are not imagining it − there were more overcast days this year
If you felt like you got fewer glimpses of the sun this past year − perhaps aided by the frequent showers interrupting summer recreation − you are likely right.
It’s difficult to measure cloudy days for the purposes of record setting, according to the National Weather Service, based on the fact that weather stations make reports of clear, scattered, broken, or overcast skies which can differ in interpretation. However, utilizing a tool from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet, the Burlington office of the weather service was able to plot cloudy days in 2023 versus the average for the region.
Data from 1951 through 2023 taken at noon each day provided average cloud cover frequency percentages for each month. In all but in April and May, 2023’s percentage of overcast days were higher than average. August, January and October were at least 20 percentage points higher than average for that month through the years. August had a 55 percent frequency, 29 percentage points higher than the average for that month; January was 77 percent overcast which was 27 percentage points higher than average; and October at 55 percent overcast was 26 percentage points above the average for past Octobers.
Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.
Score: UAlbany 4, Vermont 14
Location: Virtue Field | Burlington, Vt.
Records: UAlbany (10-5, 5-1 America East) | Vermont (8-6, 4-1 America East)
Short Story: UAlbany women’s lacrosse fell to the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon.
Key Stats
- Grace Cincebox recorded a total of 14 saves with 13 goals allowed for a .565 save percentage.
- Ravan Marsell led the Great Danes with two points on one goal and one assist.
- Four different UAlbany players scored in the contest.
- Reggie Williams was the team’s leader with three ground balls.
- Delilah Mile caused a team high three turnovers.
How It Happened
- The Catamounts came out of the gates hard and heavy, scoring all three goals between both sides in the first quarter.
- Vermont would take an 8-0 lead in the second quarter before Amanda Williamson found the back of the net on a women-down goal to put the Great Danes on the board and make it 8-1.
- The Great Danes would allow one more goal in the first half to trail 9-1 after 30-minutes of play.
- Grace Cincebox would enter the half with 10 saves.
- Riley Forthofer started the Great Danes off in the second half to make it a 9-2 game, before Vermont put up three more goals to take a 12-2 lead entering the final quarter of play.
- Mya Carroll and Ravan Marsell both scored on back-to-back free-position goals to make it a 12-4 game.
- The Catamounts finished the game with two more goals to take the win 14-4.
Up Next
The Great Danes will next have a bye week and wait to see the outcome of next week’s Vermont vs UMass Lowell game to see who will host the America East Tournament.
Social Central: Stay up to date with UAlbany women’s lacrosse by following the team on Instagram (@UAlbanyWLax), Facebook (UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse), and X (@UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.
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Here’s another reason Vermont is the best New England state: It’s home to one of the top 5 happiest cities in the United States.
Plus, it has another within the top 15.
Massachusetts, on the other hand, doesn’t even break the top 50. Nor, does Connecticut or Rhode Island.
The personal finance website analyzed 182 of the largest cities in the country, and ranked Boston 63rd overall. Although the city is home to some of the nation’s top universities, high-ranking hospitals, and well-regarded companies, it didn’t break the top 50.
To get the rankings, WalletHub compared the cities using 29 metrics, including life-satisfaction index, depression rate, poverty rate, job security, and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and cities were assigned an overall happiness score.
Here’s a look at how the cities ranked.
South Burlington is No. 4 happiest city, Burlington is No. 11
South Burlington came on top for Vermont in WalletHub’s list of the happiest cities in the United States, ranking at No. 4. In scored very high for emotional and physical well-being coming in at the No. 4 spot, which made up for coming in No. 48 for community and environment. It was No. 9 for income and employment ranking. That gave it a total happiness of score of 70.15
Burlington wasn’t far behind at all, taking the No. 11 spot on the list and a happiness score of 67.54. It’s highest score was for income and employment ranking where it came second. It ranked No. 13 for community and environment and No. 21 for emotional and physical well-being.
Happiest cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 happiest cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Fremont, California – 74.09
- Bismarck, North Dakota – 73.11
- Scottsdale, Arizona – 71.36
- South Burlington, Vermont – 70.15
- Fargo, North Dakota – 69.36
- Overland Park, Kansas – 68.45
- Charleston, South Carolina – 68.44
- Irvine, California – 67.99
- Gilbert, Arizona – 67.96
- San Jose, California – 67.79
- Burlington, Vermont – 67.54
- Madison, Wisconsin – 66.35
- Columbia, Maryland – 66.28
- Chandler, Arizona – 65.69
- Seattle, Washington – 65.62
- Plano, Texas – 65.34
- San Francisco, California – 64.99
- Lincoln, Nebraska – 64.90
- Portland, Maine – 64.59
- Tempe, Arizona – 64.30
- San Diego, California – 64.30
- Raleigh, North Carolina – 63.47
- Peoria, Arizona – 63.38
- Durham, North Carolina – 62.84
- Huntington Beach, California – 62.80
Least happy cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 least happy cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Detroit, Michigan (#182 overall) – 29.55
- Memphis, Tennessee (#181 overall) – 34.39
- Shreveport, Louisiana (#180 overall) – 34.93
- Cleveland, Ohio (#179 overall) – 36.50
- Huntington, West Virginia (#178 overall) – 37.20
- Toledo, Ohio (#177 overall) – 37.21
- Augusta, Georgia (#176 overall) – 38.24
- Fort Smith, Arkansas (#175 overall) – 38.66
- Dover, Delaware (#174 overall) – 39.08
- Akron, Ohio (#173 overall) – 40.11
- Baltimore, Maryland (#172 overall) – 40.28
- Birmingham, Alabama (#171 overall) – 40.37
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (#170 overall) – 40.47
- Columbus, Georgia (#169 overall) – 40.61
- Montgomery, Alabama (#168 overall) – 41.35
- Gulfport, Mississippi (#167 overall) – 41.65
- Charleston, West Virginia (#166 overall) – 42.18
- Jackson, Mississippi (#165 overall) – 42.60
- St. Louis, Missouri (#164 overall) – 43.53
- Knoxville, Tennessee (#163 overall) – 44.04
- Wilmington, Delaware (#162 overall) – 44.34
- Little Rock, Arkansas (#161 overall) – 44.48
- Mobile, Alabama (#160 overall) – 44.85
- New Orleans, Louisiana (#159 overall) – 45.19
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (#158 overall) – 45.33
Where New England cities ranked
Here are the 12 happiest cities in New England, and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- South Burlington, Vermont (#6 overall) – 70.15
- Burlington, Vermont (#11 overall) – 67.54
- Portland, Maine (#19 overall) – 64.59
- Nashua, New Hampshire (#27 overall) – 62.49
- Manchester, New Hampshire (#51 overall) – 59.10
- Boston, Massachusetts (#63 overall) – 56.88
- Warwick, Rhode Island (#66 overall) – 56.59
- New Haven, Connecticut (#95 overall) – 54.14
- Bridgeport, Connecticut (#96 overall) – 54.01
- Providence, Rhode Island (#98 overall) – 53.52
- Worcester, Massachusetts (#116 overall) – 50.12
- Lewiston, Maine (#145 overall) – 47.28
A tornado touched down in Vermont Thursday, when a strong storm system moved through the area, the National Weather Service said.
Winds are believed to have hit 90 mph when the tornado churned through Williamstown at about 9:15 p.m., the agency said Friday. That makes it an EF1 tornado on the Fujita Scale, which goes from 0 at the weakest to 5 at the strongest.
Lasting three minutes, the twister traveled for more than four-tenths of a mile, with a maximum width of 100 yards, according to the National Weather Service’s preliminary assessment. It damaged a pair of buildings and numerous trees, shearing tree tops. Golf ball-sized hail was also reported in the area.
Severe thunderstorms popped up across the North Country Thursday night, including in central Vermont — Williamstown is south of Montpelier.
The town thanked its road crew, firefighters and locals who spent hours in the wake of the storm cleaning up.
“We appreciate all that you do to keep the town functioning though an emergency situation,” the town said.
People in the area told NBC affiliate WPTZ that the storm was shockingly powerful, and National Weather Service staffer Marlon Verasamy said that while tornadoes in Vermont are rare, they’re even rarer in this part of the state.
“Generally, when we do see tornadoes around the area that they’ve been in Addison County and not here, so it make it really, really unique to get a tornado in this kind of terrain in this part of the state,” Verasamy said.
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