Winter storm floods New Hampshire for second time this year

HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. – A winter storm brought renewed impacts of coastal flooding to southeast New Hampshire over the weekend.

A weekend winter storm brought a wide range of impacts to the Northeast, from snow squalls and heavy rain to coastal flooding in New England.

Strong onshore winds up to 55 mph pushed seawater ashore in New Hampshire on Sunday morning, flooding homes and streets in Hampton Beach on Sunday morning.

Drone video shows the water creeping into homes and cars attempting to navigate the flooded streets after high tide. 

The scene was similar to Jan. 10 when coastal flooding swallowed entire neighborhoods in Hampton Beach. 

Henry Swenson, who recorded Sunday’s drone video, described the flooding as major in a tweet but not quite as bad as the flooding in January.

Ahead of high tide before noon, police closed access to Hampton Beach from Route 101 or Route 1A.

“Water has begun cresting over the seawall and there is some potential roadway infrastructure hazards,” Hampton police warned on Facebook. 

The flood stage for the Hampton Beach area is 11 feet.

In January, the water level exceeded 13 feet, according to the National Weather Service. On Sunday, the NWS was forecasting coastal flooding up to 2 feet. 

By Sunday evening, police said all roads except High Street were back open as the winds had shifted and flooding subsided.