Wintry mix forecast from late-season winter storm
It’s still winter, and Mother Nature will make that known to most of us.
We’re expecting everything but the kitchen sink with this next storm in Atlantic Canada — including rain, ice, snow, and strong winds. Here’s how it’s forecast to unfold.
Rain, at times heavy, developed last night into this morning across the Maritimes, but a change to snow and ice pellets has occurred in central to northern New Brunswick and western Prince Edward Island.
This north-to-south transition will occur in northern Cape Breton this morning to afternoon, for eastern Prince Edward Island and northern Nova Scotia later this afternoon and evening, and the rest of Nova Scotia later this evening and overnight.
The weather is expected to clear into and on Friday, with a lingering chance of flurries behind it.
For Newfoundland, excluding the Great Northern Peninsula, snow is forecast to develop from southwest to northeast this afternoon and evening. It’s expected snow will mix with ice pellets for the Burin and Avalon peninsulas, and southernmost locations could see freezing rain.
This wintry mix continues Friday but becomes more confined to eastern regions. Gradual clearing is then expected Friday night into Saturday. The rest of Newfoundland and Labrador will be spared.
Snowfall-wise, 30 to 50 cm is forecast for the northern Burin and northern Avalon peninsulas, but local amounts of 50 to 70 cm can’t be ruled out. Southern portions plus the Bonavista Peninsula into central and southwest Newfoundland, western Prince Edward Island, and southeast New Brunswick should expect 15 to 30-plus cm.
Northern Cape Breton should expect 20 to 40-plus cm, but elsewhere in the region, snow and ice pellet amounts should be minimal to none.
Rainfall amounts for Nova Scotia, excluding northern Cape Breton and southwest New Brunswick will range from 30 to 50 mm with pockets of 50 to 80 mm. The rest of southern New Brunswick, along with southeast Prince Edward Island, should see 10 to 30 mm.
The threat of an extended period of freezing rain will be greatest for inland and higher elevations in Nova Scotia, central and eastern Prince Edward Island, southeast New Brunswick, and possibly the southern coasts of the Avalon and Burin peninsulas.
Moreover, north and northeast winds will gust between 40 and 70-plus km/h.
Everything from power outages to slippery surfaces and localized flooding are hazards with this storm.
This is a complex weather system and a small change in the forecast track could have large implications for snow and freezing rain amounts, especially in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick.
Certainly, it will be best to keep tabs on this weather and plan around it over the next couple of days.