Buried: Southern NH Hit with 18-22 Inches of Snow

While it started a little later than predicted in some locations, parts of New Hampshire are now buried in snow at this hour with more to come.

According to snow spotters and the National Weather Service, Windham has the largest amount of recorded snow, so far, with more than 22 inches as of about 9:30 a.m. this morning. Hampstead and Salem are reporting more than 20 inches at around 10:30 a.m.

Parts of Hudson are reporting more than 20 inches as of around 10 a.m. Nashua and Hollis are reporting more than 18 inches as of 10:15 a.m.

On the Seacoast, Exeter, Newmarket, and Portsmouth are reporting 12-plus inches of snow on the ground as of 8:30 a.m.

Moving inland, the snow totals drop off a bit but the worst parts of the storm haven’t circled around yet.

Concord had about four inches of snow on the ground at around 8 a.m. while Amherst was reporting about six inches at the same time. Bow was reporting about six inches around 10 a.m. Milford reported 13 inches at around 9:30 a.m.

Power outages

According to Unitil, PSNH, and Liberty Utilities, the companies that service all New Hampshire Patch communities, there have been no major outages, so far. About nine customers in Milford are without power, according to PSNH. The company has been reporting minor outages in other parts of the state including Brookfield, Farmington, Gilford, and Wakefield, as of noon.

However, as the wind picks up and gusts in places, officials expect that there will be outages later today or into the evening.

Hassan thanks residents

Gov. Maggie Hassan held a short press conference at around 10:15 a.m. this morning updating residents about the state’s response to the storm. Here’s a link to the WMUR-TV raw video of the press conference.

Hassan thanked residents for using their “commonsense” for staying home and businesses for closing for the day. She warned, however, that if people do venture out onto the roads, they should be prepared to be stranded for a lengthy period of time.

“Please don’t get lulled into a false sense of security here,” she stated directly to residents of the central and northern part of New Hampshire. “This still is a significant storm.”

More than six states across the Northeast have been hit with more than a foot of snow, according to The Weather Channel.

Emergency info

The state’s Emergency Operations Center is open and will remain open as long as is necessary, according to Hassan. Public safety and emergency management officials are working with local entities to open warming stations and shelters as needed.

For more information about shelters, including the closest pet-friendly shelter, residents can contact 2-1-1 NH toll-free by dialing 2-1-1 in state or 1-866-444-4211 from out of state.

The future

The storm is expected to continue swirling around the region today and into tonight but slowly drifts out to sea in the early morning hours on Wednesday. Forecasters, however, are warning of an Alberta Clipper that will be heading into the region on Thursday, bringing more snow and cold temperatures and making cleanup more difficult.

Captions: An unplowed street in Windham; Matthew Drive in Salem buried in snow; snow piled up against a garage door in Exeter; the scene along Ocean Boulevard on Hampton Beach; the waves at Hampton Beach; Nashua’s Hanover Street covered in snow; snow reaching mailboxes in Hudson. Courtesy of Patch readers posting photos on Facebook.