Bitter cold for Friday and the weekend; heavy snow a risk Sunday into Monday in the Maritimes

A person tries to stay warm as they walk in downtown Ottawa, Friday, February 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A real winter-like forecast is expected for the Maritimes over the next few days as frigid conditions into the weekend are followed by a chance of some heavy snow Sunday into Monday.

A BITING WIND CHILL

A cold front bringing scattered flurries Thursday will be followed by a gusty northwest wind Friday. The northwest wind will usher in some polar-sourced air that is currently in place over northern Quebec. High temperatures for many communities will remain several degrees below zero, with overnight lows dipping down into the minus double digits both Friday and Saturday.

The gusty northwest wind will ensure wind chill is a factor. Wind chill will make it feel -8 to -14 for Nova Scotia and P.E.I. Friday morning and -16 to -20 in New Brunswick. With gusts in the range of 30 to 60 km/h continuing through the day, there won’t be much improvement when it comes to wind chill for the afternoon.

A similar wind chill can be expected Saturday with some improvement Sunday.

Polar-sourced air and a gusty wind will produce a bite to the air on Friday.

FLURRIES FOR SOME

As the cold northwest wind blows over the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northumberland Strait, it will generate some flurries bringing them onshore for parts of P.E.I. and eastern Nova Scotia Friday into Saturday.

Areas most likely to get into some of the more persistent flurries include, Kings County, P.E.I., as well as Antigonish County into Inverness County, Nova Scotia. In most cases, the additional flurries will produce snow amounts ranging 1 to 5 cm. Snow totals Friday through Saturday could add to 10 to 20 cm in the higher elevations of the Cape Breton Highlands.

The cold northwest wind will bring in more flurries off ocean waters to parts of P.E.I. and eastern Nova Scotia Friday into Saturday.

HEAVY SNOW POSSIBLE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY

At the end of the weekend, a strengthening low-pressure system will move towards Cape Cod in the northeastern U.S. and then pass just to the south and east of Nova Scotia.

It is a favourable track to bring a risk of heavy snow for western areas of Nova Scotia. The pass of the system to the south keeps colder air in place while wrapping in moisture off the Atlantic. That makes snow more likely as opposed to a mix of snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, and rain.

A strengthening low near Cape Cod could approach close enough to bring a heavy snow to western areas of Nova Scotia Sunday into Monday. Some snow reaching southern areas of New Brunswick can’t be rule out.

On Thursday, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for mainland Nova Scotia. The statement cautions of a possible 15 to 25 cm of snow from Sunday afternoon to late Monday. The snow could be accompanied by easterly gusts of 40 to 60 km/h, which could create periods of reduced visibility in blowing snow. The weather agency does note there is some uncertainty in the track and intensity of the system, which could change the outlook and forecast for it. They note “western areas of the province will probably have the highest snowfall amounts.”

I’ll have further updates on the potential snow on CTV News Atlantic programming and at ctvnewsatlantic.ca.