Brighter, warmer weekend as blocking high moves south
It’s been all about location with our weather this week.
Some of us have enjoyed a fair amount of sunshine with spring-like temperatures, while others have dealt with days of cool, damp, and dreary weather.
There is good news in the forecast for the entire region this weekend as the blocking area of high pressure that’s kept low-pressure stalled and has driven persistent northerly winds will move southward over the region.
A general mix of sun and cloud is forecast for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. While clearing could be a bit slower for Newfoundland and not as abundant for Labrador, we can expect a nicer and brighter outlook for the upcoming weekend.
The next system on my radar is an area of low pressure that will sit over Hudson Bay this weekend and draw on some moisture from the eastern and southeastern U.S. The occlusion between the system’s warm and cold front will move through the region as the centre of low crosses Labrador Monday and squeeze across Newfoundland on Tuesday.
A round of showers will spread eastward across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Labrador on Monday, with showers for Newfoundland late Monday and Monday night. It won’t be significant with two to five millimetres of rain for most, with some pockets between five and 10 mm expected.
As the low is pushed south, it will become stationary and serve up lingering showers on Tuesday and possibly the middle of the week for N.L. and the eastern Maritimes.
Healthy amounts of rain are necessary during May to minimize wildfire threats and future drought situations. We’ll take everything we can from these showers.
In terms of temperatures, a return of southerly winds this weekend into next week will allow temperatures to warm into the low-to-mid teens for much of the region before moderating again, but remember that wind direction is crucial to this warmth.
Coastlines exposed to the wind will be five to 10 degrees cooler than locations farther inland or where winds either downslope or blow offshore.