Mud season — with a touch of snow

River Road in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

It's one of the ironies of living in New England: With spring barely a month old, there's still a chance winter may come back, just a little. And it looks like Friday may be that kind of day in Vermont.

Nature's latest weather show opened with rain on Thursday evening. But parts of southern Vermont, including the Woodstock area, are expected to see 6 to 12 inches of snow over the course of the day Friday. A winter storm warning is in effect until 8 p.m. Friday evening for Windsor County, and the eastern portions of Rutland and Addison Counties.

During any storm warning, caution is always best. The National Weather Service is warning about hazardous travel conditions on Friday, especially on roads in higher elevations — which would include that Killington overpass along Route 4. Even if weather in the lower valleys is minimal, it can be a very different scene in areas like Killington.

Speaking of changing conditions, it's always a slight risk to write about specific weather events — because they can disappear from the forecast in the blink of an eye. With temps above freezing, Friday's weather could result in little more than slush. But however it pans out, the warm season will march confidently onward, with this storm being a blip on the radar in the grand scheme of spring.

To that end: Any snow is expected to taper off by Friday evening, followed by a quick jump back to 50-degree weather on Saturday and some 60s next week. True, vestiges of winter may try to creep in, but spring wastes no time in getting back to business. And all who've been enjoying the warmer weather are glad to know it.

— Gareth Henderson