New Hampshire, 2003

Flood and Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, January 3 to 5, 2003

January 3 to 5, 2003 · NWS GYX · 13 events in 12 counties and zones

Low pressure developed off the Virginia coast on the morning of the 3rd and intensified as it moved slowly northeastward through the Gulf of Maine on the 4th. The storm brought heavy snow to all of New Hampshire with 15 to 20 inches across much of the southern part of the state.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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.

Low pressure developed off the Virginia coast on the morning of the 3rd and intensified as it moved slowly northeastward through the Gulf of Maine on the 4th. The storm brought heavy snow to all of New Hampshire with 15 to 20 inches across much of the southern part of the state. Over most of the remainder of the state, 10 to 15 inches of snow fell, except in the lower elevations of the northern Connecticut River valley where snowfall amounts were in the 5 to 10 inch range. Strong northeasterly winds accompanied the storm causing a storm surge which combined with high astronomical tides to cause coastal flooding along the seacoast. Route 1A was closed in North Hampton when the ocean began to cover the road at about 11 am. The peak gust at Isles of Shoals was 56 kts.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 heavy snow, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Belknap

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Belknap forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.519, -71.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Coastal Rockingham

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM 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)

Heavy Snow, Interior Rockingham

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM 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)

Heavy Snow, Merrimack

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Merrimack forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.298, -71.680 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Carroll

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM 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)

Heavy Snow, Northern Coos

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM 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)

Heavy Snow, Northern Grafton

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM 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)

Heavy Snow, Southern Carroll

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM 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)

Heavy Snow, Southern Coos

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM 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)

Heavy Snow, Southern Grafton

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM 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)

Heavy Snow, Strafford

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Strafford forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.297, -71.029 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sullivan

When
January 3, 2:00 PM EST to January 5, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Sullivan forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.361, -72.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Coastal Rockingham

When
January 4, 11:00 AM EST to 1:00 PM EST
Where
Coastal Rockingham forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.985, -71.089 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New Hampshire in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in New Hampshire, January 2003

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: 5341002, 5341003, 5341004, 5341005, 5341006, 5341007, 5341008, 5341009, 5341010, 5341011, 5341012, 5341013, 5341014.