It’s been a little over six months since I moved to Northern New Hampshire. As a native of Michigan, winter is certainly nothing new to me, but I did take a deep breath when that first snow storm hit! I was prepared. I had studded snow tires, a snow blower & sturdy shovel, 1.5 ton of wood pellets to supplement the oil heating, and of course a shiny new sled for my daughter!
I was pleasantly surprised to find that yes we got a couple big snow storms, but lots of crisp sunny days in between. The road crews meticulously cleared the roads & sidewalks and actually removed snow to keep good visibility around corners and all lanes fully accessible. There were barrels of sand at the foot and crest of especially steep hills. The people of New Hampshire know how to manage snow!
I was impressed with the way the community came together to help each other. On our local Facebook group I saw people offering each other rides to work, plowing driveways for the elderly free of charge, and dropping off groceries to families with small children who were worried about going out in harsh weather. Here in New Hampshire we look out for one another.
My one piece of advice to a new mover: get on an automatic delivery schedule if you have oil heat. Being from the Midwest I was accustomed to natural gas. Navigating the world of oil tank refills had a learning curve. Oil companies take care of their auto customers first and we had to wait quite awhile for a full up (nerve wracking to have a low tank in frigid temps!) So even if you move in the middle of July, call your local oil company and get yourself on an automatic delivery schedule. Yes you give up the flexibility to fill when you want to according to prices and such, but it’s a very real risk of being without any fuel when a cold snap hits if you don’t get on that priority delivery.
Overall my first winter here was the easiest one this former Michigander has weathered. Perhaps it was an exceptionally mild year, but we had a great time sledding and making snow angels just the same!
Hi Tiffany
We met at the Lakes Region Monthly meeting. Glad you weathered the first winter. I will say that no two winters are ever alike. People will say usually it is this or that, but they really are different. This one had that really frigid couple of weeks to start off then was really nice until March. Our March here in the Lakes region has brought us about 45 inches of snow in three weeks. Some entire winters only give us that much. Good you got on auto delivery. The spring, summer, and fall will also be unique from year to year. Always fun in NH! Glad you are here.
I ran out of heating oil in my home in FARGO one winter, in January, so absolutely heed Tiffany’s advice!!