Winter Storm — Northern Carroll, New Hampshire

2023-12-03 to 2023-12-04 · Northern Carroll, New Hampshire

Event narrative

Precipitation began around midday on the 3rd as a wintry mix of rain and snow. Upsloping easterly flow was both cooler and contained more moisture than on the western side of the White Mountains. This kept precipitation type mainly snow in the higher terrain of Carroll County. This led to larger difference between the valleys and the elevations across the area. Eventually steady snow tapered to upslope snow showers and ended around mid morning on the 4th. Snowfall totals ranged from 10 inches in the higher terrain to 7 inches in the Saco River Valley.

Wider weather episode

Early on the 3rd a stalled frontal boundary was draped across southern New Hampshire and near the coast of Maine. Low pressure slowly developed along the southern end of the front and rode north along the Appalachians through the day on the 3rd. Low pressure occluded during the evening on the 3rd, with a secondary low pressure developing south of Nantucket. The bulk of the precipitation came with the initial push of warm air advection, winding down early in the morning on the 4th. However an inverted trough hanging back to the northwest of the low center extended light snow through much of the day on the 4th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1146312. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.