Drought in New Hampshire, December 1 to 31, 2001

Name: Drought in New Hampshire, December 1 to 31, 2001
Start: 2001-12-01T00:00
End: 2001-12-31T23:59
Location: New Hampshire

December 1 to 31, 2001 · NWS GYX · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

December was another month in an unending string of drier than normal months. 38 inches at Laconia.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GYX wrote it up.

December was another month in an unending string of drier than normal months. Precipitation ranged from 1.33 inches at Milan up to 3.38 inches at Laconia. The Palmer Drought Severity Index was in the moderate drought category at the end of the month. Lake Winnipesaukee was 63 percent below normal and outflow from Lakeport Dam was reduced to 30 cubic feet per second; this shut down 6 hydro power plants on the Winnipesaukee River. Eleven ground water monitoring wells reached new record lows for the month of December, with two of these reaching all time record low levels. Precipitation for the year was 29.98 inches below normal at Mount Washington, 17.90 inches below normal at Pinkham Notch, 15.24 inches below normal at Tamworth, 15.13 inches below normal at North Conway, 11.26 inches below normal at Epping, 10.11 inches below normal at Colebrook, and 10.04 inches below normal at Bethlehem.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Belknap

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Belknap forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.519, -71.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Coastal Rockingham

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Coastal Rockingham forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.985, -71.089 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Interior Rockingham

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Interior Rockingham forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.985, -71.089 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Merrimack

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Merrimack forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.298, -71.680 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northern Carroll

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Northern Carroll forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.874, -71.203 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northern Coos

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Northern Coos forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.690, -71.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northern Grafton

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Northern Grafton forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.941, -71.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Southern Carroll

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Carroll forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.874, -71.203 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Southern Coos

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Coos forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.690, -71.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Southern Grafton

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Grafton forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.941, -71.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Strafford

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Strafford forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.297, -71.029 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Sullivan

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Sullivan forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.361, -72.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Hampshire in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in New Hampshire, December 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5275401, 5275402, 5275403, 5275404, 5275405, 5275406, 5275407, 5275408, 5275409, 5275410, 5275411, 5275412.