Looking for Info - South NH Winter (Exeter, Dover, Portsmouth, etc.) (Nashua: power lines, house)

[Bubbles01x]

Hello, my husband and I are looking to relocate to NH (most likely) sometime this year. We were wondering about the winter conditions in the south, particularly Exeter, Portsmouth, Dover, etc. How bad really is driving in these areas in the winter? Are you expected to go to work during a legitimate snow storm? We live in Florida so we haven't seen an inch of snow most of our lives. The only thing really putting us off NH is driving in the winter. From what I gather it's not too bad but some people do say it's a nightmare. And does it snow all through the winter? Or is it just the occasional heavy snow here and there? Is it best to live very close to a city center such as Exeter?

Any info greatly appreciated, thanks!

[ben young]

Winter is no problem if you work from home.Internet service can be sporadic with ice storms.Most main roads are cleared by the time a snow storm ends side roads take longer.Im talking about snow up to 14 inches. More than that side roads my take a full day withe 20 or more inches,not that big a deal.
East coast storms are different than western snowfalls.The water ratios in the west can be 20 or more to one..In the east its more likea 10 to one or even a 6 to 9 to one ratio[cement] ..clear it quickly n
Before it becomes a iceburg at the end of the driveway.

[KCZ]

Yes, it snows off and on all winter, from sometime in Nov until the beginning of April. Most businesses do not close unless the snowfall is a foot or more, or there are other factors like power failures or advisories by the DOT to stay off the roads. You will need to learn about things like AWD and snow tires, and taking a winter driving class is a good idea if you've never driven in snow before. If you haven't already done it, you really should spend some time here in the winter, like the next several months, to see how you like it before you move here. Besides getting used to the snow, you also have to tolerate the cold temps and the darkness. I find the last consideration to be the worst, personally, but YMMV.

[Nonesuch]

Originally Posted by Bubbles01x

How bad really is driving in these areas in the winter? Are you expected to go to work during a legitimate snow storm?

I've got AWD and snow tires, but I still just plan to be home (with food and generator fuel for a week plus) during/after any big storm. Whether you're expected to show up in the office depends on your job.

Originally Posted by Bubbles01x

The only thing really putting us off NH is driving in the winter. From what I gather it's not too bad but some people do say it's a nightmare. And does it snow all through the winter? Or is it just the occasional heavy snow here and there? Is it best to live very close to a city center such as Exeter?

Yes, NH can expect sporadic snowstorms anytime between Halloween and Patriot's Day.

If you live near a town center and setup your life so you don't have to drive during or immediately after a heavy snowfall, then winter driving is easier to deal with, as most towns will plow and salt/sand their main roads.

Ice can be just as big a hazard as snow, particularly when we get ice storms early in the season while there are still leaves on the trees, leading to downed limbs/trees/power lines, and extended power outages -- again, being close to a town center usually means you get your power back that much sooner.

[unit731]

Originally Posted by Bubbles01x

Are you expected to go to work during a legitimate snow storm?

There are many places that would not hire you if you asked this question.

[KCZ]

To expand on what Nonesuch said, if you don't know how to drive in snow, don't buy/rent a home out in the boondocks.


And Patriot's Day is not a holiday in NH, so don't worry if you don't know what it is.

[Nonesuch]

Originally Posted by KCZ

To expand on what Nonesuch said, if you don't know how to drive in snow, don't buy/rent a home out in the boondocks.

Originally Posted by KCZ

And Patriot's Day is not a holiday in NH, so don't worry if you don't know what it is.

I would've said "Easter", but that's a moving target (as is "ice out").

Patriot's Day is less obscure than VJ day, which I only learned about when I was doing on-site work in Rhode Island and was told I didn't have to come in tomorrow.

[bigbear99]

SE NH winter is very different from SW NH, and it varies quite a bit even in SE, depending on ocean effects. The more coastal areas will often get rain or sleet when further west, say around Nashua, it's snowing.

Winters are getting milder, though, the past few years - more rain than snow, it seems, and more frequent thaws. Last January, for example, a long warm spell melted off all the snow and thawed the dirt roads (not good in winter).

Winter driving is not that hard, you just slow waaaay down. The problem is all the other drivers. Some people still tailgate, even in the worst weather.

Speaking of power failures, I live in a very rural area, and haven't lost power for more than an hour or so in over two years. Not like outages happen in every storm.

[OutdoorLover]

I live in Newburyport, MA - about 12 miles south of Exeter (as the crow flies). We get real snow. To me the biggest things to mitigate that are:
- Buy a house with an oversized attached garage - then your cars don't get buried and you can walk right into them without traversing either snow or ice
- Keep a potent snowthrower in that oversized garage. Doesn't need to be huge, but not a light duty one. Needs to be able to power through e.g. 12-18 inches of normal snow easily, and also work through that heavy berm of snow/slush/ice that the plow leaves at the end of the driveway without stalling
- Get winter tires on your car during winter

During a heavy snowstorm, the roads can be awful because the plows can't be everywhere at once and it's coming down fast, but once the snow stops and the plows catch up with things, the big highways are usually good within 2-4 hours and even most minor roads are usually good within 3-6 hours.

There are always exceptions - you can get a heavy snow in November or even April in the odd year, but normally, most of the heavy snow falls between something like Dec 21 - Mar 7.

I work 38 miles away down in Cambridge, MA in biotech. Most such companies let people stay home or work from home on heavy snow days. Policies will vary by employer of course.

[steveusaf]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

- Buy a house with an oversized attached garage - then your cars don't get buried and you can walk right into them without traversing either snow or ice
- Keep a potent snowthrower in that oversized garage. Doesn't need to be huge, but not a light duty one. Needs to be able to power through e.g. 12-18 inches of normal snow easily, and also work through that heavy berm of snow/slush/ice that the plow leaves at the end of the driveway without stalling
- Get winter tires on your car during winter

These should be New England living commandments. I second these recommendations. They all can change your perspective on winter in NH, especially the garage and snowblower.