Burlington, Vt. – January 24, 2010 – The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for northern New York and Vermont Sunday through Tuesday, January 26, 2010.

Vermont’s Chittenden, Lamoille, Caledonia, Washington, Western Addison, Orange, and Windsor counties are under the flood advisory. 

A storm system across the Central Plain States will bring rain and warm temperatures to the Northern New York and Vermont late Sunday evening into Monday. Rain will begin and become heavy at times late Sunday evening and into Monday morning. It will taper off to scattered showers Monday afternoon.

Total rainfall accumulations will range from 1.25″ to 2″ by late Monday afternoon.

The combination of warm temperatures and rainfall will create mass snowmelt across the region. This will cause a rapid rise in river and stream levels creating the potential for ice jam flooding.  The weather system will move East of the area by Monday night and temperatures will slowly cool through mid-week.

NWS warns that potential also exists for minor flooding of village and city streets due to clogged storm drains as well as basement flooding.

Vermont Emergency Management urges all Vermonters to be prepared for this possibility and to heed the following:

Never drive over a road that is flooded. Before the storm you should identify alternate routes to safety should travel or evacuation be necessary. If floodwaters approach your location, you are urged to seek higher ground.

As always, strong winds have the potential to take down trees, which could block roads or lead to power outages. If you see a tree across power lines or if you see a downed power line you should never touch the tree or the power line as it could be live and electrocute you. All power lines should be treated as if they were active. If you lose power, call you power company to report the outage. It is advisable to prepare for outages in advance by buying or locating a flashlight and battery powered radio for your home. It is always prudent to have an emergency kit with the above items, along with canned food, water, a first aid kit, and other items you may need.

If you lose your source of heat, you should identify an alternate location where you can stay warm. If you use a generator, it is critical that you never run it indoors and only in a well ventilated area to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

-Vermont Daily News report and National Weather Service Alert information