Imagine this: A powerful April nor’easter dumps 18 inches of heavy, wet snow across New England. Trees bent under ice crash through power lines across the state and cause over 125,000 New Hampshire customers to lose power.
Or 42.1 inches of snow fall over a two-day period in Readsboro, VT, cutting off power to 30,000 customers and shutting down Interstate 93.
These aren’t hypothetical scenarios. They’re real events that show how vulnerable businesses can be to disruption, damage, and recovery. If you run a shop, a factory, a restaurant, office or other small business in New England, winter weather is a risk to your bottom line. Let’s dive into the most common winter threats businesses face and how you can prepare for them.
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7 Most Common Winter Hazards for New England Businesses
Winter in New England isn’t just about snow days and plows on the highway—it’s a season of serious business risks. From frozen pipes to roof collapses, storms in our region can bring a combination of cold, wind, ice, and flooding that quickly overwhelm even the most prepared operations.
And it’s not just midwinter blizzards you need to worry about. Early-season October snowfalls, mid-winter deep freezes, or late-season nor’easters in March, April, or even May can all cause major disruptions. For small and medium-sized businesses, that means lost revenue, property damage, and unexpected downtime.
1. Power & Utility Outages from Nor’easters, Ice & Wind
When you lose power or access to water, you lose refrigeration, point-of-sale systems go dark, employees can’t operate safely, and data systems can get corrupted. These can cause major disruptions to your business and can even occur outside of seasonal norms.
For example, late spring 2025 saw a rare May nor’easter that knocked out power, delivered record wind gusts atop Mt. Washington, and dumped snow at high elevations, showing that “off-season” storms are still threats. A storm in March 2023 storm triggered 200+ crashes, widespread travel disruptions, and major power losses across both Vermont and New Hampshire.
Outages can strike in or out of season, so having backup power and redundancy plans year-round is critical.
2. Roof Failures & Snow Loads
Storms in New England don’t behave uniformly. Wind scouring, drifting, and snow accumulation can create uneven loads on roofs, especially flat ones. Where one section of roof is lightly loaded, an adjacent zone may carry far heavier weight, risking structural damage.
During the Blizzard of 1978 overloaded roofs and infrastructure across New England (including New Hampshire), contributed to extensive property damage according to the National Weather Service. With local building codes often based on historical snow loads, an incremental extreme event can push a roof beyond design capacity, especially if maintenance, drainage, or snow removal is inadequate.
Proactive roof inspections and snow-load planning can prevent structural failures before storms hit.
3. Frozen Pipes, Burst Plumbing & Interior Water Damage
Older downtown structures often feature pipes in unheated attics or exterior walls. Combine that with power outages and cold infiltration, and you get pipe bursts behind walls, flooding, drywall damage, and mold. Many insurance claims in New England winter seasons come not from wind or snow, but from ice, freezing, and thaw cycles that stress pipe joints.
Proper insulation, monitoring, and emergency shut-off plans are your best defense against costly water and freeze damage.
4. Coastal Flooding & Storm Surge
Some nor’easters coincide with high tides, sending coastal flooding inland. Businesses in river valleys, coastal towns, or near tidal estuaries face this amplified risk. During the May 2025 nor’easter, coastal and inland rain and wind combined to create flooding and power disruptions beyond the immediate shoreline.
Businesses in flood-prone areas should consider both structural safeguards and insurance coverage for water damage.
5. Slip & Fall, Personnel Risk, Cold Stress & Access Interruptions
Snowy and icy walkways increase liability exposures. In moonlight or early morning hours, these hazards are magnified. Workers exposed to cold, wind, or damp conditions (on-site maintenance crews, loading docks, parking lots) can suffer frostbite, hypothermia, or cold stress, which trigger workers’ comp events.
Clear safety protocols for walkways and employee and equipment protection help reduce liability and keep staff safe.
6. Supply Chain & Logistics Delays
When storms cause roads to close, bridges to get washed out, or utilities to fail, freight gets delayed or rerouted. In Vermont in July 2023 flooding closed major roads, cut off supply lines, and left downtown Montpelier businesses cut off for days. About 140 businesses suffered $20M+ in damage in just 24 hours. Between 1980–2024, New Hampshire has recorded 11 winter storms that caused over $1 billion each in damages.
Diversifying suppliers, pre-positioning inventory, and planning alternate routes can reduce costly downtime.
7. Escalating Storm Intensity
According to climatological studies, the strongest nor’easters are intensifying due to warmer ocean-atmosphere interactions, meaning more moisture, heavier precipitation, and stronger winds.
The seasonal frequency of blizzards is substantial. Over a 55-year period, researchers cataloged 713 blizzards in the contiguous U.S., averaging ~13 per season. All of these factors make the “usual winter playbook” less effective—companies must upgrade to a more resilient standard.
Building resilience into your operations and coverages today helps safeguard against tomorrow’s stronger storms.
How to Protect Your Business From Winter Hazards
The ability for your business to weather major storm events lies in preparation. When you combine smart choices, proactive maintenance, and well-tailored insurance, you reduce risk and improve your odds of staying open when others are shut down.
The following checklist can help you identify and remove hazards before they cause an issue that results in an insurance claim, downtime, and monetary losses.
1) Structural & Roof Preparedness
Your roof is your first line of defense against winter storms, and even small weaknesses can turn heavy snow into a collapse risk.
- Snow-load mapping: Identify drift zones and adjacent higher roofs that feed loading onto lower ones.
- Design thresholds: Cross-check your roof’s design load against local snow-load codes; upgrade if near margin.
- Active removal plan: Contract with snow-removal professionals, define removal thresholds (e.g. >12 in, or >2 in/hour storm rate), and ensure safe removal paths. Avoid damaging rooftop equipment.
- Roof access & safe zones: Ensure safe anchoring points, ladder access, and exclusion zones around skylights, HVAC units, or parapets.
- Fall risks: Maintain ice melt, safety guards, and roof-raking protocols to prevent collapse or snow dumping onto entrances.
2) Utility Redundancy & Critical Systems
When the power goes out in the middle of a blizzard, your business can’t afford to go dark — reliable backup systems are essential.
- Generator / alternate power sizing: Size for essential loads (heating, critical systems, pumps) with margin for surge.
- Dual feeds / microgrid: If possible, explore dual utility feeds or microgrid/battery architecture.
- UPS & power conditioning: Protect IT, POS, refrigerators, freezers, and sensitive electronics from spikes or power surges.
- Automatic transfer switches & regular testing: Monthly load testing under worst-case cold conditions.
3) Plumbing & Freeze Protection
Frozen or burst pipes are among the most common — and most expensive — winter losses for businesses.
- Heat trace / self-regulating cable on exposed or vulnerable piping (rooftops, attics, exterior walls).
- Line segmentation & isolation valves: Ability to isolate sections quickly if leaks occur.
- Low-temperature alarms & remote monitoring: Send alerts before a catastrophic freeze.
- Scheduled “faucet drip” programs during extreme cold cycles; keep interior zones above 55°F.
- Thaw protocols & safety: No open flames; use controlled heat, document steps during claims response.
4) Flood, Ingress & Storm Surge Safeguards
Winter storms often bring not just snow, but flooding and coastal surge that can infiltrate your building.
- Flood-resistant design in low zones: elevate electrical systems, place critical equipment above base flood elevations, use flood doors or barriers where applicable.
- Stormwater management: maintain drainage, clear gutters/downspouts, install backflow valves, grade site to shed water.
- Coastal defenses (for NH): deploy flood walls, raised thresholds, and storm-proof windows in vulnerable structures.
5) Snow, Ice, and Walkway Safety
Slip-and-fall accidents are a leading cause of winter injury claims, making clear, safe walkways a business necessity.
- Clearing plans for entrances, sidewalks, disabled ramps, roof drip zones.
- Anti-slip materials & traction protocols: sand, salt, traction grit, and frequent reapplication.
- Lighting & signage: ensure early-morning or nighttime hazard visibility.
- Snow-harbor paths: plan snow storage away from exits, roof shedding zones, and traffic lanes.
6) Cold-Weather Workforce Protection
Your employees are your most valuable asset, and cold stress, frostbite, and hypothermia can happen faster than most people realize.
- Layered PPE & insulated gear for outdoor or semi-outdoor work crews.
- Warm-up shelters / breaks: rotate staff, limit exposure, monitor for cold-stress symptoms.
- Training & drills: cold stress, slip/fall response, emergency evacuation in winter conditions
- Remote or hybrid protocols: if roads or access are impacted, permit staff to work from unaffected locations when possible.
7) Fleet, Deliveries & Vendor Coordination
Snowed-in roads and icy conditions can bring your supply chain to a halt if you don’t plan ahead.
- Seasonal routing flexibility: pre-plan alternative roads; avoid exposed routes in forecasts.
- Mandatory winter kit: blankets, shovel, flares, jump packs, water, high-calorie snacks.
- Winter driver training & restrictions: limit travel under Blizzard/Severe Warnings; enforce safe speeds.
- Pre-position inventory or staging: ahead of forecasted storms, stage enough stock locally to carry through delays.
8) Business Continuity & Insurance Strategy
Even the best preparation won’t stop every winter disruption — but the right coverage and continuity plan can keep you afloat.
- Coverage review & gap audit:
- Business Income (with seasonal multiplier)
- Extra Expense (temporary locations, expedited repair)
- Utility Services / Off-Premises Power
- Equipment Breakdown (especially boilers, HVAC, pumps)
- Inland Marine / Transit coverage
- Physical Loss – Wind/Snow, Roof Collapse endorsements
- Flood / Sewer Backup / Water Damage riders
- Workers’ Compensation for cold-stress claims
- Commercial Auto physical damage / liabilities in winter
- Deductible and waiting period analysis: ensure reserves cover initial downtime before coverage kicks in.
- Document & learn from past claims: maintain photos, loss logs, mitigation logs.
- Vendor and contractor prequalification: ensure snow removal, roofers, plumbers, restoration professionals are under contract and rated.
9) Incident Response & Recovery
When disaster does strike, how you respond in the first hours and days makes all the difference in recovery speed and costs.
- Rapid assessment teams: internal or third-party to evaluate structural safety, utility reconnection, clean-up prioritization.
- Insurance claim readiness: immediate documentation of damage, witness statements, mitigation receipts.
- Temporary egress / safe walkways: open alternate paths, maintain safety protocols.
- Communications plan: to employees, customers, suppliers (text, email, web, signage).
- Phased reopening: focus on minimal viable operations, then full restoration.
Winter in New England isn’t just cold, it’s complex. From nor’easters and blizzards to power failures, roof collapses, frozen pipes, supply interruptions, and cold-stressed employees, the threats are real, frequent, and intensifying as extreme weather events become more common.
You don’t have to wait for the next storm to test how resilient your business is. With detailed site assessments, structural upgrades, system redundancies, workforce protocols, and a robust insurance backbone, your business can emerge more durable and competitive.
Start today by comparing this guide to your existing winter plan, identifying gaps, and asking your agent to run a “winter stress test” on your current coverages. Let’s aim for winters where your business weathers the storm—not the other way around.
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*Disclaimer: We offer content for informational purposes; Co-operative Insurance Companies may not provide all the services or products listed here. Please get in touch with your local agent to learn how we can help with your insurance needs.
Sources
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Granite State News Collaborative. Winter tourism in New Hampshire: a ‘small but mighty’ economic driver. https://www.collaborativenh.org/granite-solutions-coronavirus-1/2024/12/18/winter-tourism-in-new-hampshire-a-small-but-mighty-economic-driver
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NH Business Review. Volatile weather risk looming over NH businesses. https://www.nhbr.com/volatile-weather-risk-looming-over-nh-businesses/
Vermont Public. Montpelier businesses still facing challenges one year after the flood. https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-07-10/montpelier-businesses-still-facing-challenges-one-year-after-the-flood