Snowman and view of Newfound Lake in New Hampshire on Feb. 5, 2024. Photo by Todd B. Bates/NH EnviroGuy blogger

Winter in New England: Extreme Weather and Climate Update, With Snowfall Maps

12 min readFeb 8, 2024

Extreme coastal flooding and damage. Abnormal warmth (again). Heavy snowfall.

Like January 2023, last month featured some notable weather and climate extremes in New England.

While it was snowier and wetter than normal in much of the region, snowfall in October through January was below normal in most of the area, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center.

“A strong El Nino is largely to blame for the general lack of snowfall this season,” the National Weather Service office in Buffalo, New York, posted. Overall, it’s been a mild winter so far in most of the Northeast, according to the Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index.

Still, snow depth and quality have been pretty good for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing this season near where I live in central New Hampshire.

Enjoy! Photos of Fall Colors in Norway, New England, California and Montana

February — the snowiest month in nearly all of the Northeast — is shaping up to be unusual. This weekend, for starters, it’s expected to be spring-like in southern New England.

“Heading into the weekend, we could see record highs Saturday with temps in the 50s to around 60,” the National Weather Service Boston/Norton office posted. “Records were set just last year (2023) and include 64 in Providence, 62 in Hartford, 60 in Boston, & 56 in Worcester.”

Then we may get a winter storm and more coastal flooding early next week, with below normal temperatures possible the rest of February.

Snowfall Maps Show Major Shortfalls in Northeast and Great Lakes States in Recent Winters

“A winter storm system passing south of New England Monday night and
Tuesday has the potential to impact our region. While confidence remains low at this time…significant impacts are possible… including renewed coastal flooding on Tuesday. Please check back for later updates,” according to a weather service hazardous weather outlook.

Extreme Snowfall in New England Led by Mount Washington in N.H.

Some January and cold season highlights in New England, the Northeast and beyond, including stats on three significant winter storms:

—Last month was “easily the warmest January on record” when it comes to global sea surface temperature, climate scientist Zack Labe posted. “Anddddd January 2024 is now the 8th consecutive month of new global temperature records… not great!!”

— Most of the Northeast was warmer than normal last month — as much as 6.1 degrees above the norm (in Burlington, Vermont), the Northeast Regional Climate Center says. It was the 12th warmest January on record in Burlington, ninth warmest in Portland, Maine, and 11th warmest in Caribou. All told, 15 of 35 major climate sites in the Northeast had one of their 20 warmest Januarys. Twenty-nine sites were wetter than normal, but “above-normal temperatures meant variable snowfall,” the center says.

— It was the second wettest January on record in Concord, New Hampshire, and Providence; the third wettest in Hartford and Worcester; and the fourth wettest in Portland and Boston, the center says.

— It was the 17th snowiest January on record in Worcester (28 inches, or 9.8 inches above normal), according to the center. It was also snowier than normal at Concord, Portland and other sites, but snowfall was sub-par in Boston, Bridgeport and other sites.

Guide to Snowfall Forecast Maps for New England, With Other Snow Information and Photos

— Seasonal snowfall at Caribou in Maine totaled 55.5 inches, or 13.1 below normal as of Tuesday, and was lowest total since 2015–16, the weather service office there posted.

— The water level reached a record 14.57 feet above mean lower low water at a tide gauge in Portland on Jan. 13, according to the National Weather Service Gray/Portland office. Mean lower low water is the average of the lowest low water height over 19 years. Back-to-back storms led to historic flooding along “the Maine coast, destroying homes, roads, buildings, docks, and iconic landmarks,” according to a Maine news release.

— The water level reached 13.76 feet above mean lower low water at a tide gauge in Hampton, New Hampshire — exceeding the major flood level.

— Sustained hurricane-force winds (at least 74 mph) and gusts to 92 mph were reported at Matinicus Rock, Maine, on Jan. 10. Winds reached 69 mph at the Burlington airport; 66 mph at Rose Island in Rhode Island; and 66 mph at Chatham, Massachusetts. The 69 mph gust in Burlington was the fourth highest on record there.

Snowfall Totals for the 2022–23 Season in the Eastern U.S.

Here are many more images, including ones covering some major snowstorms over the years and quite a few of my recent photos in New Hampshire (sorry if this is a bit of a mishmash):

New England Average Snowfall Map: Are You Ready for Winter?