Winter Storm — Northern Coos, New Hampshire

2026-01-25 to 2026-01-26 · Northern Coos, New Hampshire

Event narrative

Snow overspread the North Country by the late afternoon on the 25th. Snow steadily increased in intensity as a band of moderate to occasionally heavy snow lifted into the region. Snow continued overnight into the 26th, with occasional breaks or lighter snowfall before the storm center moved into the Atlantic. Snowfall totals ranged from 8 to 12 inches.

Wider weather episode

An expansive winter storm gripped much of the country beginning on the 24th. An anomalously cold air mass was in place ahead of the storm, which tracked through the southern Plains and across the Southeast. A significant cold air dam remained in place east of the Appalachian Mountains and helped to force secondary cyclogenesis south of New England on the 25th. Strong warm air advection in the mid levels forced an intense band of snow that lifted north through New England, reaching New Hampshire and western Maine during the afternoon. Snow quickly became moderate to heavy after onset. Snowfall rates were at times one inch or more per hour as the band lifted northward. In its wake lower level forcing continued the moderate to heavy snow near the Massachusetts border through the overnight into the morning of the 26th. This resulted in the highest snowfall totals across southeast New Hampshire and southwestern Maine. The upper level trough swung through the region on the 26th with light snow for much of the day, ending as one final burst of moderate snow in the evening. Key message: heavy snow, traffic accidents.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1302841. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.