Drought — Coastal Rockingham, New Hampshire

2025-12-01 to 2025-12-31 · Coastal Rockingham, New Hampshire

Event narrative

Rockingham County averaged 1.78 inches of precipitation in December, approximately 2.3 inches below normal. The July'December stretch was the 5th driest on record. Level 2 water restrictions in Exeter remained in place as reservoir levels failed to recover. The USDM on December 30th had 55% of the county in Severe Drought (D2) and 45% in Moderate Drought (D1).

Wider weather episode

December 2025 saw the state's hydrological recovery stalled by below-normal precipitation and the seasonal ground freeze. As winter took hold and frozen ground effectively halted any potential for significant groundwater recharge. Seasonal snowfall provided a surface-level coating across the state, the moisture content of the snowpack remained below normal, outside of the White Mountains and insufficient to offset the substantial long-term deficits carried over from the summer and autumn. Hydrological recovery remained at a standstill, with streamflows below normal. While surface soil moisture had seen modest gains in November, the lack of substantial December rain meant that groundwater levels remained much-below normal for the month.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1301965. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.