By Guy Page

As the rest of the U.S. braces for near record cold weather, Vermont is still shoveling out from this year’s first big winter storm that took place over the long President’s Day weekend. Two tractor-trailer accidents, many car accidents,  and a plethora of road closings occurred as drivers struggled to cope with double-digit snowfall, high winds and icy roads in the recent ‘bombogenesis’ snowstorm.

The National Weather Service reports today that an Arctic air mass is plunging into the Central U.S. this week with widespread, record-breaking cold underway. Through Friday, numerous daily records are expected to be broken. Heavy snow today will move from the Mid-Mississippi Valley into southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Significant icing is expected in southeastern North Carolina.

In Vermont, 18.8 inches of snow fell in Waterbury and in double-digits statewide during what WDEV Meteorologist Roger Hill referred to on-air Tuesday as a ‘bombogenesis.’ Bombogenesis can happen when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass, such as air over warm ocean waters. It is popularly referred to as a bomb cyclone.

St. J Stuckage in Snowbank – A tractor-trailer obstructed both lanes of traffic on Portland Street in St. Johnsbury Tuesday morning after becoming stuck in a snowbank, prompting a response from local law enforcement and temporary road closures.

According to the Vermont State Police, troopers were alerted to the incident at 8:17 AM on February 18. Officers from the St. Johnsbury Police Department also responded to the scene, where they found the tractor-trailer blocking the roadway.

The driver, identified as 56-year-old Mark Dority of Sicklerville, New Jersey, was cited for two violations under Vermont law: Stopping Prohibited (Title 23 VSA 1104) and Condition of Vehicle (Title 23 VSA 1221).

Traffic was managed at the scene until B&B Towing successfully removed the vehicle. The roadway was fully reopened by 10:25 a.m. Authorities have not disclosed additional details regarding the cause of the incident. No injuries were reported.

Crash temporarily closes Route 78 in Alburgh – A minor collision between a tractor-trailer and a pickup truck briefly shut down a section of Route 78 in Alburgh on the evening of Monday, February 17.

State Police say the crash occurred at about 5:30 p.m. near McGregor Point. A 2022 Freightliner TT-unit, operated by 34-year-old Temesgen Eyob of Rochester, NY, collided with a 2013 Ford F-250 equipped with a plow as the pickup was turning into a driveway. The driver of the pickup, identified as 72-year-old Raleigh Palmer of Alburgh, was not injured.

Both drivers were wearing seat belts, and neither reported injuries. The crash resulted in minor damage to the Freightliner’s passenger-side fender and headlight, while the Ford sustained minor damage to its plow. Despite the damage, both vehicles remained operable and were able to leave the scene under their own power.

Due to the TT-unit becoming stuck off the roadway, authorities temporarily closed Route 78 while a heavy wrecker assisted in getting the vehicle back onto the road. The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles conducted an inspection of the tractor-trailer following the incident.

Bombogenesis, a term used by meteorologists, occurs when a midlatitude (the latitudes between the tropics and polar regions) cyclone rapidly intensifies, or strengthens, over a 24 hour period, the National Ocean Service reports. This intensification is represented by a drop in millibars, a measurement of pressure used in meteorology. The intensification required to classify as “bombogenesis” varies by latitude. At 60 degrees latitude, it is a drop of at least 24 millibars (24 hectopascals) over 24 hours. At the latitude of New York City, the required pressure drop is about 17.8 millibars (17.8 hectopascals) over 24 hours.