clipped from: www.boston.com COLCHESTER, Vt. - It's early April, and the snow in the mountains of Vermont holds the equivalent of 15 inches of rain.
Emergency planners in Vermont - and in New Hampshire Maine, where the mountains hold similar snowpacks - know that in the next few weeks the snow is going to melt, filling rivers and streams to the tops of their banks. If heavy rains start soaking the snow, the region could experience significant spring flooding, specialists warn.
There is a flood watch in effect through this afternoon for much of Vermont, but the ice is out on most rivers and streams, and ideal melting conditions are forecast for the next several days: daytime temperatures just above freezing and nighttime temperatures below freezing.
Officials from the National Weather Service and Vermont Emergency Management are urging people to be vigilant.