Heavy Snow — Northern Grafton, New Hampshire

2017-03-14 to 2017-03-15 · Northern Grafton, New Hampshire

Wider weather episode

An area of low pressure over the central U.S. on the morning of the 13th intensified rapidly as it moved east to the Delmarva Peninsula by the morning of the 14th, and then continued to intensify as it moved northeast along the East Coast through the morning of the 15th. The storm brought heavy snow to all of New Hampshire with high winds leading to blizzard or near blizzard conditions across much of central and southern portions of the State. High winds and/or heavy wet snow downed trees and created numerous power outages across southeastern portions of the State.

Snow began around 4 am in the southwestern corner of the State on the 14th and spread rapidly northeast. By 11 am, snow was falling throughout the entire state. The snow became very heavy throughout the State during the late morning and afternoon. Winds also increased during the afternoon leading to blizzard conditions in parts of the State. The following reporting sites officially observed more than 3 hours of blizzard conditions: Portsmouth (12:58 pm ' 4:58 pm), Concord (1:51 pm ' 5:17 pm), and Laconia (3:05 pm ' 6:10 pm). The heaviest snow tapered off in southern and central sections of the State during the late afternoon and evening, but persisted in northern and mountain areas overnight. Gusty winds and blowing snow persisted into the overnight for the entire State.

Snowfall amounts across New Hampshire ranged from about 12 to 20 inches. Much of the snow in any given area fell during about a six-hour window with weather spotters reporting snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour. The heavy snow combined with the strong winds lead to whiteout conditions in many areas. Some of the stronger wind gusts across New Hampshire included 82 mph at the Isle of Shoals, 62 mph in Portsmouth, 45 mph in Laconia, 41 mph in Concord, 40 mph in Manchester, 38 mph in Whitefield and Rochester, and 37 mph in Keene.

In the Seacoast area, the strong winds combined with heavy wet snow to cause numerous power outages. Farther inland, across Belknap and Carrol Counties, the strong winds downed trees onto roads and wires leading to blocked roads and power outages. Particularly hard hit was a section of Route 109 in the Town of Tuftonboro where downed trees snapped utility poles and brought down wires.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 683619. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.