MORNING UPDATE: Residents were still digging out from Thursday’s storm in many parts of the state Friday morning.

While Greater Nashua saw some of the lower snowfall totals from the storm, receiving only about six inches in most areas, totals went up to closer to eight inches just north in Manchester.

Most roads in the region were clear Friday morning, but there were still some slick spots for the morning commute. And roads that were not plowed Thursday turned icy by morning.

Meanwhile, residents are preparing for another storm system expected to move into the Granite State over the weekend. On Saturday, a storm will likely bring another one to three inches of snow to areas south of the White Mountains, with less snow expected further north.

NASHUA – The Snow Miser and Heat Miser fought for turf during the season’s first significant snowmaker Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with white covering most of the state, but green winning the day in a few areas.

New Hampshire indeed seemed a battleground between the warring White vs. Green stepbrothers in the animated holiday cartoon “The Year Without a Santa Claus.”

“It was a very strange storm with the gradient of snow from nothing to half a foot in a short space,” Telegraph weather columnist Doug Webster said.

For example, Nashua got roughly 6 inches or so, with snowfall measured in Hudson at 6.4 inches, Webster said.

But drive 10 minutes down Route 3, and you’ll find green grass, Webster said.

Lowell, Mass., got only a trace, he noted.

Snowfall totals increased to 8 inches or more a few miles north on Route 3 to Manchester, Webster said.

Similarly, 6 inches or so fell on Epping, but neighboring Exeter got only rain, Webster said.

“That happens sometimes,” Webster said. “That’s why it’s difficult to forecast storms in advance.”

Advance warning, however, helped city and town crews prepare to move the piles of white stuff from roadways.

Nashua Citibus and paratransit vans did well for the first major storm of the year, said Mark Sousa, manager of Nashua Transportation Department.

“We’re on time, running on schedule. There have been no accidents (involving buses). The plows are doing a great job,” Sousa said.

Despite the advance words of caution from utilities, there were few power outages throughout Thursday morning, even as snow began to turn to icy rain in Greater Nashua.

There were about 250 individuals in Windham without power Thursday morning due to a car accident that damaged a utility pole, but PSNH crews quickly restored power to those affected.

By Thursday afternoon, the utilities company was reporting only six customers without power, in Rye, throughout the whole state.

Emergency crews in Greater Nashua responded to the typical fare of fender benders, but few major crashes.

A car rolled onto its roof on Route 101A near Boston Post Road shortly before 2 p.m. in Merrimack, according to Merrimack Fire Lt. Richard Gagne.

However, the female driver wasn’t injured, and it’s uncertain if the crash, still under investigation, was related to weather, Gagne said.

There were few other weather-related issues in Merrimack, Gagne said.

“Drivers were pretty good. In town, we seemed to fare pretty well with people driving carefully,” he said.

The same held true in Nashua.

“We must have gotten it out of our system with the first snow last week,” Nashua Deputy Fire Chief Karl Gerhard said.

There were few accidents in the city Thursday morning and afternoon, and none with injuries, he said.

What happened Thursday night remained to be seen, however, as temperatures dropped, allowing road surfaces to freeze.

Meanwhile, more snow is possible Saturday, but unless forecasts change, Webster doesn’t think it will amount to much.

Thursday’s snowstorm fell into the pattern that has developed over the past few weeks, Webster said. The difference was, in Southern New Hampshire the temperatures were just cold enough for snow to fall, while in past weeks the precipitation has been mainly in the form of rain, he said.

North of here, enough snow has fallen in this and previous storms to cover mountain slopes, Webster said.

“Ski people are happy. It’s a great start to the season,” he said.

Patrick Meighan can be reached at 594-6518 or pmeighan@nashua
telegraph.com. Follow Meighan on Twitter @ Telegraph_PatM.