Weather

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for most of New Hampshire, and the forecast anticipates rain turning into snow Friday, possibly bringing 1-3 inches for greater Concord.

Responders have put out at least two small brush fires in New Hampshire this week amid dry conditions and high winds.

One was in Cornish, near homes on Route 12-A. The other destroyed a barn in Hinsdale.

Fire danger has been rated at least moderate in the state this week. And there's little rain in the forecast in the coming days. The state is well below average on precipitation for the year, with another potential drought in the works this spring.

Combined with gusty winds, the state says it means any open burning can easily catch and spread uncontrolled.

Nearly 20,000 people in New Hampshire were still without power due to high winds early Tuesday evening.

Most of the outages are with Eversource in Portsmouth and other parts of the Seacoast. The New Hampshire Electric Co-op also has large outages in the Lakes Region and Eastern White Mountains, including, as of 5:30 p.m., nearly 3,000 in Alton.

Update: Monday, 12:35 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the state of New Hampshire.

The storm is expected to bring significant snow accumulation - as much as a foot or more in southern and eastern New Hampshire - beginning Monday afternoon, and continuing through late Tuesday.

Scattered power outages across New Hampshire are being reported mid-day Saturday as a wintry mix, with notable wind gusts in some areas, lingers in parts of the state.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for northern New Hampshire, a storm warning for western New Hampshire up the Connecticut River valley, and a coastal flood warning for the Seacoast.

The Mount Washington Observatory is moving exhibits from its now-closed Weather Discovery Center in North Conway to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord.

A few exhibits will move to the observatory's museum on top of the mountain, but most will find a new home in Concord, including the "Shaky Shack", the replica of the 1930s-era Observatory staff's mountain-top cabin in which the highest human-observed surface wind speed on Earth was recorded in 1934.

Snowblowers were the sound across New Hampshire on Thursday as residents dug out of more than three feet of snow in some places.

A winter storm moving into the region tonight could bring up to a food of snow in southern New Hampshire.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for much of the Granite State, starting at 10 p.m. Wednesday and extending until 4 p.m. Thursday.

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Heavy snow is expected, with 6-10 inches of snow accumulation in the southern tier. Concord, Keene, Manchester, Nashua and Portsmouth may get up to 10 inches.

Unseasonably warm temperatures the past few days have set records across New Hampshire and Maine, according to the National Weather Service.

Manchester saw record daily highs on Saturday and Sunday – getting close to 80 degrees. Concord also saw a record daily high on Sunday. Previous records were in the low 70s and 60s.

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Many towns in New Hampshire can expect to wake up to a light blanket of snow Friday morning. 

A winter weather advisory is in effect for southwestern New Hampshire, and onward up to Lebanon in the Upper Valley. The National Weather Service advisory includes Cheshire, Grafton, and Sullivan Counties, and parts of Hillsborough and Merrimack counties.

Today, Labor Day, caps off one of New Hampshire's warmest summers on record -- a consequence of climate change.

National Weather Service data for June, July and August says this summer was the warmest on record in Manchester, with an average temperature of 74.4 degrees.

Thirty-two days were over 90 degrees in the Queen City - compared to fewer than 10 normally in the years since 1980.

Labor Day highs in Manchester have also ticked up in that time, according to weather records.

The Labor Day weekend forecast calls for sunny and warm weather across New Hampshire.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of Belknap, Carroll, and Strafford counties, which expired at 1:15 p.m. Saturday.

There is also a severe thunderstorm warning for the area, which includes much of Lake Winnipesaukee.

There is a chance of high winds, heavy rains, and hail in that area.

(This post was updated following the severe weather warnings.)

Update: Thursday, 5:10 p.m.: About 5,000 customers of Eversource and the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative are still without power in the wake of Tropical Storm Isaias on Tuesday night. 

Previous updates continue below: 

Parts of New Hampshire saw intense rain Tuesday morning, leading to some flash flooding, including at a hospital.

Cottage Hospital in Woodsville experienced flooding early this morning as bands of thunderstorms and “torrential rainfall” moved through the area.

“Our staff responded swiftly to mitigate damage. Patient rooms were not affected,” says Dr. Maria Ryan, the hospital’s CEO, in a statement. “The water has now receded. Thankfully, no equipment was damaged.

Update: The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of Cheshire County and Hillsborough County, that expired at 8:15 p.m. Friday. A tornado watch remains in effect for parts of central and southern New Hampshire until 10 p.m. Friday.

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected across central and southern New Hampshire Friday night.

There is a tornado watch in effect for central New Hampshire, including Merrimack and Hillsborough counties, and stretching into Strafford and Rockingham counties, until 10 p.m. Friday.

Update, March 24: The winter storm that picked up in New Hampshire overnight has caused thousands of power outages.

Eversource reports about 15,000 customers without electricity, as of 7 a.m. Tuesday. Hopkinton is one of the hardest-hit towns, with nearly 1,200 customers affected at that hour. There were 489 in Derry, 433 in Auburn, 748 in Hollis, 557 in Hooksett, and 1,675 in Merrimack.

Unitil had 76 outages (on the seacoast), N.H. Electric Cooperative 30, and Liberty Utilities 2, as of 7 p.m.

A winter storm warning is in effect for northern New Hampshire, with a weather pattern that will begin affecting the Granite State Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service also issued a winter weather advisory for central New Hampshire into Thursday afternoon, and Thursday night. The forecast calls for heavy, wet snow in parts of Carroll, Coos, and Grafton counties.

Line crews from electric utilities are working to restore power to more than 12,000 customers in New Hampshire   

The snow, sleet and ice build-up contributed to outages around the state.

As of 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Eversource reported 11,500 customers without power. New Hampshire Electric Cooperative reported 1,520. Both utilities had already restored service to several thousand people.

A winter storm warning is in effect for most of New Hampshire through Friday. It has made for slick roads and a slow morning commute in parts of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The National Weather Service expects 6 to 9 inches of snow to fall across Carroll, Grafton, and Belknap counties. Greater Concord can expect 1-3 inches of snowfall Thursday, with a total of 3-6 inches for central New Hampshire.

Note: Scroll to the bottom of this story for links to utility outage maps and other severe weather resources.

Updated at 9:10 a.m. Tuesday:

Utility crews have restored power to thousands of customers across New Hampshire, and are continuing to address newly reported outages. As of 9 a.m., Eversource reported 444 without electricity, with 167 in Danville and 162 in Sandown. Unitil has 23 customers affected, and N.H. Electric Cooperative around 80.

Updated Tuesday at 9:45 a.m.:  

A mix of snow and rain are moving through New Hampshire, making for a wet and occasionally slippery Tuesday morning commute.

According to the National Weather Service, mixed precipitation is expected throughout today with a winter weather advisory in effect until 7 p.m. this evening.

Total snow accumulations of up to an inch and a light glaze of ice are expected in portions of central New Hampshire and southern Maine.

New Hampshire's armchair meteorologists can train to become official observers for the National Weather Service over the next two weeks.

Winter trainings for the weather service Skywarn program are scheduled in Manchester on Tuesday night, and in Plymouth on Nov. 7. Trainings are also held in Maine, and before the summer season.

This story was updated at 3:50 p.m.  

Electric utilities are reporting thousands of power outages in New Hampshire after the season's first nor'easter storm overnight.  

More than 58,000 power outages were reported during the peak, according to the N.H. Homeland Security and Emergency Management, which opened its emergency operations center to monitor and support response efforts.

As of late Thursday afternoon, there were still 23,000 outages reported. 

An already dangerous Hurricane Dorian intensified yet again Sunday as it closed in on the northern Bahamas, threatening to batter islands with Category 5-strength winds, pounding waves and torrential rain as people hunkered down in schools, churches and other shelters.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for much of New Hampshire until 8 p.m. Monday.

The forecast calls for a chance of showers and thunderstorms Monday afternoon into the night, with some storms in central and southeastern New Hampshire. There is potential for severe weather, including a chance of high winds and hail.

New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services is expecting air pollution concentrations to reach unhealthy levels in Portsmouth and other seacoast communities.

The outlook for Tuesday is for unhealthy concentrations of ground-level ozone, the main component of smog. The unhealthy air quality comes from the persistence of high temperatures under sunny skies, which can combine with local emissions.

The heat index is expected to flirt with 100 in New Hampshire on Friday and Saturday, prompting health warnings and safety tips from local first responders.

The National Weather Service has heat safety tips.

In Manchester, the Health and Fire departments have issued recommendations, including: