The Northeast Kingdom is bordered on the east by the
Connecticut River and on the west by the
Green Mountains. The highest point is
Jay Peak, a summit on the main ridge of the Green Mountains, at . The highest point outside of the Green Mountains is
East Mountain in
East Haven, with a summit elevation of . Another notable high point is
Monadnock Mountain, because it is a relatively isolated peak with a maintained climbing trail. The Kingdom encompasses 55 towns and
gores, with a land area of , about 21% of the state of Vermont.
The city of Newport is the only incorporated city in the tri-county area. As of 1997, 80% of the Northeast Kingdom was covered by forest; 59% was northern hardwood, 29%
spruce or
fir. The Northeast Kingdom has been listed in the North American and international editions of
1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz. In 2006, the
National Geographic Society named the Northeast Kingdom as the most desirable place to visit in the country and the ninth most desirable place to visit in the world. The largest municipalities in the Northeast Kingdom are the towns of
St. Johnsbury (population 7,603),
Lyndon (5,981), and
Derby (4,621), and the city of
Newport (4,589).
Geology Although Vermont is known as the Green Mountain State, the Northeast Kingdom lies outside that geological formation and is based on a set of long-ago volcanic islands, compressed during collision with the
Taconic orogeny. Views and vistas differ sharply from those of the state's central mountain spine. The presence of
kame terraces in the counties are of interest in connection with the
glacial drift that gave the Northeast Kingdom its soil and its surface stones and boulders. These terraces have beds of sand and clay from which bricks were once manufactured. Two land masses collided at the end of the
Ordovician Period about 466 million years ago. This collision first formed what are now the
Green Mountains which extend into the westernmost part of the Northeast Kingdom. It also created great pressure within the earth, resulting in active volcanoes. The resultant eruptions produced igneous rock which became the
granite found in many of the region's mountains and in the
Connecticut River Valley. The remaining geology was created during the
Silurian–
Devonian Period, about 400 million years ago, and left behind slate, with some granite, schist, and limestone. An expansion of the polar glaciers resulted in an ice age which greatly affected the geology. A sheet of ice covered the Kingdom several times, over one million years, until 13,500 years ago. It brought the many boulders seen in the area and created many prominent features, including
Lake Memphremagog,
Lake Willoughby, and
Crystal Lake. The retreat of the
Laurentide glacier allowed the Green Mountains again to arise, but much eroded. A saltwater incursion resulting in the
Champlain Sea from the
Atlantic Ocean covered much of Vermont, including what is now Lake Memphremagog. This incursion stopped 11,000 years ago and became fresh water. Forests later
appeared after the water receded.
Flora According to the
A. W. Kuchler U.S.
potential natural vegetation types, the Northeast Kingdom would have four dominant vegetation types and forms listed below from highest to lowest elevation. • A dominant vegetation type of Northeastern
Spruce/
Fir (
96) with a dominant vegetation form of Northern
Conifer Forest (
22). • A dominant vegetation type of Northern
Hardwoods/
Spruce (
108) with a dominant vegetation form of Northern
Hardwoods (
23). • A dominant vegetation type of Northern
Hardwoods (
106) with a dominant vegetation form of Northern
Hardwoods (
23). • Transitional dominant vegetation types of Northern
Hardwoods (
106) and Appalachian
Oak (
104) with transitional vegetation forms of Northern
Hardwoods (
23) and Eastern
Hardwood Forest (
25). The
plant hardiness zone at Island Pond is 3b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . In 2009, state officials aimed for one moose per . There are also
black bear, deer, bobcat,
coyote, fox,
fisher,
loon,
wild turkey, and
ruffed grouse. In 2013,
Canadian lynxes were spotted. These prey on the
snowshoe hare.
Martens, extinct in Vermont by the early 20th century, have found their way back to the Northeast Kingdom in small groups in the 21st century from New Hampshire or Canada. The
Virginia opossum moved into the area in the 1950s. The Northeast Kingdom also hosts a mythological creature in
Lake Memphremagog, which straddles the Canada border at
Newport, Vermont. The creature is called Memphre and ostensibly is serpent-like.
Climate According to the
Köppen climate classification system, the Northeast Kingdom has a Warm-summer,
Humid continental climate (
Dfb).
Dfb climates are characterized by a least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ , at least four months with an average mean temperature ≥ , all months with an average mean temperature . Since 1981, the highest air temperature at Island Pond was on 07/08/1988, and the highest daily average mean
dew point was on 07/02/2018. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on 08/28/2011. During the winter months, the average annual extreme minimum air temperature is . Since 1981, the coldest air temperature at Island Pond was on 01/04/1981. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with
wind chill values < . The average growing season is about 123-130 frost-free days. On December 30, 1933, the lowest recorded temperature in the
New England states was registered as , at
Bloomfield in
Essex County. Snowfall is plentiful in the region, and very large snowstorms occur every few years. These have included the
2007 Valentine's Day Blizzard, which brought to the area over a two-day period. This was nearly matched on March 6, 2011, when the area received of snow. This snow fall variable was matched again on two separate occasions in 2017, with 18-24" of new snow covering the area exactly a month apart. Both storms also severely affected the rest of New England and Upstate New York. {{Weather box ==History==