BRATTLEBORO — If you were expecting a blizzard in Windham County on Tuesday, you were disappointed.
If you were hoping that predictions of 1 to 2 feet of snow were just a lot of hot air, you are rejoicing.
Windham County was spared the worst of what was a major snowstorm in southern New England.
According to forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Albany, N.Y., a combination of a dry air mass over Vermont and a slightly more easterly storm track kept the worst of the storm toward the Boston area.
Light snow started falling in the Brattleboro area around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, but the snow never picked up in intensity.
According to spotter reports made to the Weather Service, only 4 inches of snow had fallen as of 9 a.m. Tuesday in Guilford, West Halifax, and Bellows Falls.
While Windham County was relatively unscathed, it was much worse in southern New England as parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts have seen snowfall amounts of more than 30 inches in some locations and winds gusts up to 75 mph in coastal areas.
A state of emergency was declared in all New England states except for Vermont.
While other states banned non-essential travel, no driving bans were in effect in Vermont. However, motorists were asked to drive with caution. No serious accidents were reported around the southern region of the state.
The threat of a massive storm was enough for area schools to cancel Tuesday's classes a day ahead of time. Many area businesses also took Tuesday off.
Amtrak cancelled train service on the Vermonter for Tuesday, as well as train service between Springfield, Mass. and New Haven, Conn.
Greyhound also suspended bus service in the Northeast. Postal deliveries in southeast Vermont and New Hampshire were also cancelled Tuesday.
Green Mountain Power had repair crews on stand-by status on Monday night, but reported no power outages in southern Vermont.
The reprieve from the worst of winter's weather could be temporary, however.
The Weather Service says a fast-moving snowstorm will come in from the west on Thursday, followed by much colder temperatures for the weekend, and the chance of another storm early next week.