‘Dangerously Cold’ Temperatures Coming; ‘Massive Winter Storm’ Could Hit Southern New Hampshire

CONCORD, NH — Forecasters at the National Weather Service are warning Granite Staters to prepare for heavy snow showers Thursday and the coldest air of the year during the weekend — but they don’t know yet about the massive ice and snow storm heading to the Northeast.

A “hazardous weather outlook” alert was posted Wednesday morning, warning of “a few heavy snow showers or snow squalls” on Thursday morning through the afternoon. Then, the coldest air of the season heads into the region.

“The coldest air of the season is increasingly likely over the upcoming weekend with temperatures and wind chills in the double digits below zero possible,” the alert stated.

The drop in temperatures is expected to start on Friday night with lows around -3 degrees. On Saturday, temps will rise above the single digits. They will drop back down again overnight to below zero on Sunday.

Guidance for the Major Winter Storm shifted north a little overnight, further expanding the areas forecast to be impacted Friday through this weekend. Here are the latest Key Messages. pic.twitter.com/ljRYn7zyyR

— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/NWSWPC/sta... 21, 2026

Forecasters at AccuWeather.com, as well as the national NWS Weather Prediction Center, are warning of a “massive winter storm,” set to bring snow and ice to the Northeast, including southern New Hampshire.

About 6 inches of snow could come to Nashua, Salem, Hampton, and Portsmouth. As much as 2 feet of snow is expected in the mid-Atlantic region, with 6 to 12 inches in other parts of the Northeast.

The NWS said more snow was expected on Sunday night and Monday morning, but the amounts are unknown at the time of publication.

Late Tuesday night, a NWS Facebook reader asked forecasters about the storm. A forecaster told them there may be “some light snow on Sunday night into Monday morning, the more the further south you are in NH.” Overall, though, the state will be “on the periphery of the storm.” The cold temps are “the bigger hazard,” they said.

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