A foot of snow in April? Storm may hit Seacoast NH, Maine hard, especially inland towns

Ian Lenahan, Portsmouth Herald
·2 min read

A foot of snow could hit inland Seacoast New Hampshire and interior York County, Maine communities this week in an early April storm that could feature rain, power outages and minor coastal flooding.

Donny Dumont, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, forecasts most of Maine and New Hampshire will be affected by the storm beginning Wednesday and stretching into Thursday, followed by rain on Friday.

How much snow in Seacoast? Depends on the location

The National Weather Service is projecting most communities in Maine and New Hampshire will be hit with a snowstorm later this week, beginning late Wednesday, April 3 into the following day. Some inland communities could face at least a foot of snow.
The National Weather Service is projecting most communities in Maine and New Hampshire will be hit with a snowstorm later this week, beginning late Wednesday, April 3 into the following day. Some inland communities could face at least a foot of snow.

Snowfall predictions may change as the storm nears in the hours ahead, he said.

“It looks like it’s going to be your standard April wet snow event and it’s going to be highly elevation and location-dependent. Along the immediate Portsmouth and Seacoast line, there could be more wet snow, 1-3 inches, then you go in 15 miles and you could get a foot and a half. Those details need to be worked out,” Dumont said Monday.

The heaviest precipitation rates are expected Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

The Dover, Rochester and Somersworth Tri-City area in Strafford County in New Hampshire is in line to potentially receive a foot or more of snow, as is Sanford, Maine. Coastal communities could see more rain by the end of the system but first receive a few inches of snow.

“Depending on (the) track of the storm, snow amounts, and snow water content, moderate to major impacts will be possible in terms of snowfall rates, amounts and snow load (weight),” the National Weather Service posted in a bulletin Monday morning.

Per the National Weather Service’s Monday projections, Portsmouth has a 22% probability to receive six or more inches of snow, compared to an 81% chance in Sanford.

“It’s going to be a big event. The peak precipitation rate should be done by Thursday afternoon, as of now,” Dumont added.

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Flooding expected to be limited due to tides

Tides at local beaches will not be at their peak for the month during the course of the storm, forecasters say, though a minor coastal flooding threat exists because the system could produce larger waves that may splash over into roadways. Wind could gust past 40 mph in the Seacoast and in some inland communities during the storm.

“Overall the flood threat will be on the minor nuisance side, but we’re not expecting anything major,” Dumont said.

Dumont added the storm is expected to hit all of New Hampshire and most of Maine, though communities north of Bangor may not be affected as heavily.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Up to foot of snow, plus rain to hit Seacoast NH, Maine in storm