Weather

Year-End, Complex Storm To Deliver One-Two Punch To New Hampshire

Alert elevated to a warning by National Weather Service for 2-part system. AccuWeather says rain will turn to ice then up to a foot of snow.

The latest maps from the National Weather Service showing warnings and an advisory as well as the timeline for the first part of the dual storm expected before New Year's Eve 2019.
The latest maps from the National Weather Service showing warnings and an advisory as well as the timeline for the first part of the dual storm expected before New Year's Eve 2019. (National Weather Service)

GRAY, ME — The National Weather Service has bumped up its winter storm watch to a winter storm warnings and advisories Sunday for most of New Hampshire as "a complex and relatively long duration winter weather event" heads into the state bringing with it rain, ice, and snow, which could reach as much 18 inches. The latest warning, issued just before 5:30 a.m. Sunday, calls for snow and some sleet during the evening in the southern part of the state with "heavy mixed precipitation" into Monday and Tuesday. The two-part storm is expected to run at least 36 hours, if not longer, according to forecasters.

"The snow and sleet may mix with freezing rain at times over southern New Hampshire Monday," according to the updated alert. "Central New Hampshire should see mostly snow."

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Find out what's happening in Concordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

For vacationers in the north, Monday will be a "dry day, under high pressure," but then, the second part of the storm will begin during the late afternoon or early evening bringing with it a "more widespread area of wintry precipitation."

The National Weather Service added, "Precipitation amounts and type remain uncertain during this period as the eventual track of the low will determine how much warmer air and mixing occurs."

Find out what's happening in Concordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

According to its individual forecasts, Concord expected to receive 4- to 9-inches by the end of the storm on Tuesday with Amherst, Bedford, Londonderry, Milford, Merrimack, Nashua, Salem, and Windham receiving anywhere from 3- to 6-inches. Exeter, Hampton, North Hampton, and Portsmouth, which are currently under a "winter storm advisory," could see 3- to 4-inches.

However, AccuWeather.com is predicting much higher levels of snow accumulation in its Sunday morning report.

"The primary form of precipitation is likely to be snow for New Hampshire, southwestern Maine and northeastern Vermont," the report stated. "These areas can expect a general 6-12 inches of snow with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 24 inches."

The site's accumulation map shows 12- to 18-inches for Concord and the capital region and 6- to 12-inches for the other Patch communities.

The latest weather conditions can be found on the front page of every Patch.com site in the United States including the 12 New Hampshire Patch news and community websites. Local, four-day weather reports for New Hampshire are posted on Sundays and Wednesday or Thursdays. Alerts are posted when needed.

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