Sleet Makes It Slick and Slippery on the Seacoast

Friday's winter weather caused slick surfaces, leading to a number of crashes on the Seacoast.

A cold front that stalled over southern New Hampshire brought accumulating sleet that coated the roads.

The National Weather Service in Gray, Maine said its weather balloon launch from their office around 10 a.m. showed a very small sliver of warm air above the ground. This was just warm enough to melt snowflakes that then refroze before reaching the surface.

Early accumulations reported to the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine included 1.4 inches of sleet in Stratham and just under an inch in Dover. Exeter received 2.5 inches of snow.

The sleet that coated the roads was starting to slowly turn over to snow before ending on Friday night.

Lots of Crashes on the Roads

New Hampshire State Police said that troopers responded to approximately 72 crashes between 4 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. on Friday.

A tractor trailer heading south on the Maine Turnpike Friday morning jackknifed in York when the driver lost control because of speed and road conditions, according to spokeswoman Shannon Moss.

Moss said the truck first struck the center guardrail, causing the rear of the truck to swing and strike the shoulder guardrail. The truck then came to rest in the center of the road, blocking all three lanes.

The driver was not injured. No summons was issued.

Other impacts:

• Dover: A citywide parking ban begins Friday at 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. Saturday. The ban will be in effect downtown from 1 a.m. - 6 a.m.
• Exeter: Friday trash and recycling pick-up will be delayed until Saturday.
• Rochester: Citywide parking ban in effect 11 p.m. Thursday until 8 a.m. Friday
• Somersworth: No on street parking starting at midnight Friday morning until midnight Saturday

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH