Messy weather is bearing down on the Maritimes, but whether you should prepare for rain, freezing rain or snow depends on where you live.

Most parts of the region can expect torrents of rain, with the storm first hitting the region on Tuesday night and continuing through Wednesday.

Meanwhile, freezing rain and snow will be on the menu for central and northern New Brunswick, which could see up to 40 centimetres of snow on the ground by Thursday morning.

NB Power has moved an extra 93 power line and tree trimming crews to the area in case outages become an issue.

“In talking to NB Power they do acknowledge that there are a significant number of trees that are threatened by a freezing rain event,” said Greg MacCallum of the province’s Emergency Measures Organization.

“If we saw a quarter- or half-inch of ice on the lines, we could see outages that would damage a lot of the infrastructure,” he said.

MacCallum said people should have supplies to last at least 72 hours, and should use caution if using generators or any open flames, such as candles.

Parts of New Brunswick are also preparing for possible flooding.

The Bay of Fundy coastline can expect more than 100 millimetres of rainfall during the storm.

The gates are wide open on the St. George dam, trying to drain as much water from the river as possible before the rain starts.

With rivers already running high after heavy rains this weekend, emergency crews there are loading up on heavy-duty water pumps, in case of flooding.

“It’s totally in Mother Nature’s hands,” said Chief Sean Morton of the St. George fire department.

“Going into it, we don’t have a lot of buffer, so we have to be a little more vigilant.”

Nearby St. Stephen, N.B. had a section of railway washed out four years ago when a stream flooded its banks and a section of the town, and there are worries about history repeating itself.

“We’re going to get a substantial amount of rain in St. Stephen,” said John Quartermain, the town’s mayor.

The rain will be a test of new infrastructure in the town, including a larger pipe designed to drain more water.

Municipal crews in N.B. are warning about a build-up of water on urban streets.

“Flooding is a concern at this time of year because the ground is frozen and it doesn’t have any capacity to absorb any of the water,” said Jeff Scott of Moncton’s public works department.

“So it’s going to go straight to the street much like if you just had concrete surfaces.”

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Atlantic’s Mike Cameron