New Hampshire Under Winter Storm Watch Alert Beginning Wednesday

GRAY, ME — The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook alert for New Hampshire warning of heavy snow coming to the state beginning Wednesday.

The alert was issued on Tuesday at 4:44 p.m. and is scheduled to run from 7 p.m. on Wednesday to 7 p.m. on Thursday. Chilly, arctic air will move into the region, building up to a strong storm system for the middle of the week.

"An Arctic air mass will move in tonight ahead of a developing area of low pressure which may bring significant snowfall to parts of the region," the NWS alert said. "The combination of below zero temperatures along with northwesterly winds will result in wind chills down to 25 below zero tonight."

Forecasters said on Wednesday, a low-pressure system will be forming along the southeastern United States as a strong area of high pressure remains in place to the north.

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"This low will quickly track northeastward before moving offshore of the Delmarva and track near Cape Cod by early Thursday morning," NWS said. "Beyond this point, there remains uncertainty in the proximity of the low to the northern New England coastline as a track closer to the coast would result in heavier snowfall amounts but a track farther offshore would result in lower snowfall."

Forecasters, however, believe there will be at least moderate snowfall in most of central and southern New Hampshire including Merrimack, Hillsborough, and Rockingham counties.

AccuWeather forecasters have more information here and call it a "blockbuster snowstorm."

Power outage risks are expected from Windham and Salem to the Seacoast. Wind gusts are expected between 30 and 35 mph during the height of the storm. And travel "could be very difficult," according to forecasters.

If the storm track stays on its current course, snow totals could be as high as much as 3 to 6 inches in Concord, Amherst, Bedford, Londonderry, Merrimack, and Milford, and 6 to 12 inches in Nashua, Salem, and Windham. Exeter, Hampton, North Hampton, and Portsmouth could see 3 to 6 inches, too. If the storm tracks north, those snow totals could increase to 6 to 18 inches in the state.

Unitil offers these preparation tips.

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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