Ice Storm — Interior Rockingham, New Hampshire

2008-12-11 to 2008-12-12 · Interior Rockingham, New Hampshire

Wider weather episode

A major winter storm brought a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain to New Hampshire from the morning of December 11th to the morning of December 12th. The greatest impact in the state was in southern and central New Hampshire where a significant ice storm occurred. Following the ice storm, recovery and restoration efforts were negatively impacted by additional winter weather events that passed through the state.

The ice storm was caused by an area of low pressure that moved northeastward along a stalled frontal boundary off the East Coast. Near ground level, cold air from eastern Canada funneled southward into the region on northerly winds. Southerly winds at higher levels of the atmosphere brought warmer (above freezing) air in aloft. Across southern and central New Hampshire, the thermal structure of the atmosphere was conducive to produce freezing rain and sleet. A mixture of snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain began Thursday morning across the state. However, as the northerly winds strengthened at the surface and southerly winds strengthened aloft, the precipitation changed to mostly a mix of sleet and freezing rain in southern and central New Hampshire. The freezing rain and sleet continued overnight and into Friday morning before ending. While 'melted' precipitation amounts across the southern and central part of the state ranged from 1 to 3 inches, ice accretion to trees and wires in these areas generally ranged from about a half inch to about an inch. The weight of the ice caused branches to snap, and trees to either snap or uproot, and brought down power lines and poles across the region. About 400 thousand utility customers lost power during the event, with some customers without power for two weeks. Property damage across northern, central and southeastern New Hampshire was estimated at over $5 million.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 148506. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.