BURLINGTON FREE PRESS: The topography along the west sides of the Green Mountain range makes that zone a particular curse for people who don’t like storms, and a playground for those who love weather extremes.

When a storm brings winds from the east, people in towns from Bakersfield to Underhill, from Huntington all the way down to Ripton, near Rutland and points south can endure gusts to 70, 80, sometimes more than 90 mph — as other parts of Vermont stay relatively calm.

When the winter winds swing around to a westerly direction, particular weather patterns combined with the solid wall that is the Green Mountain range can create huge snowstorms that pour up to 2 feet of snow in a day or so on communities hugging the western slopes, while nearby places including Burlington and St. Albans see little more than a flurry. (READ MORE)