As threats of severe weather went through northern New Hampshire on Tuesday, News 9 crews tracked the conditions in the area. Earlier Tuesday evening, News 9 saw heavy rain and flashes of lightning and heard sounds of hail hitting the roof of the Storm Watch 9 Storm Tracker in Columbia. The crew also saw dark, heavy clouds in Lancaster ahead of a severe thunderstorm watch in the area.
The threats of severe weather brought storm chasers to the northern part of the Granite State as the weather system brought risks of severe thunderstorms, high winds, and even tornadoes. “I definitely knew that today was going to be like a legitimate threat,” said Henry Swenson, a storm chaser from Massachusetts. The storm chasers were prepared to share what they were seeing with others and to render first aid if someone was injured from the storm. “Right now, I have a chainsaw and a first aid kit with me for this,” said Griffin Klien, a storm chaser from Maine. “But I usually carry the chainsaw at all times, but I usually bulk up my med kit for chases because you never know what you’re going to see.”
In Jefferson, heavy rain was accompanied by lightning strikes. The storm traveled south, and visibility was difficult at times due to the rain and strong winds. Meteorologist Emily Santom of WGME Portland reported that severe thunderstorms were on tap for Tuesday in Maine, with damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes all possible. Incoming wildfire smoke limited how hot the region got, ahead of a very strong cold front set to bring a severe weather threat to the area by the evening.
The spots with the greatest chance for numerous severe thunderstorms were across the mountains and across northern New Hampshire. For any campers out there across those regions, it is extremely important to take safe cover during severe events such as this one. The main threats with any storm that becomes strong to severe will be damaging wind, large hail, isolated tornado, and flooding.
The heat received that day really depended on how much sunshine was seen during the afternoon. If you saw a yellow-ish hue to the sky, or even orange, it was due to a thick plume of wildfire smoke over the area. It did not impact thunderstorm development that afternoon, but kept things cooler than originally thought. Dew points were running in the 60s on Tuesday. Lower humidity was expected throughout Wednesday as refreshing air rushed in.
Along the strong cold front, severe weather was expected. Any storm that becomes strong to severe, damaging wind and large hail would be the main threat. Flash flooding is always possible when it comes to severe weather. With frequent downpours, roadways can pond quickly. A very rare 10% risk was issued from NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. These percentages may seem low, but the atmosphere is primed for severe weather, and any thunderstorm that gets going could drop a tornado, especially in the yellow highlight above.
Showers and thunderstorms were over the mountains around 4 to 7 PM, but could be seen in northern Franklin and Somerset counties as early as 1 PM. The main event, however, was after 5 PM and lasted through midnight. Thunderstorms may gain strength at any given point. Storms moved south towards the coastline through midnight. Storm activity wrapped up after midnight, but it is important to remember to have a reliable way to receive weather alerts on your phone.
