Snow forecast to fall in parts of the Maritimes this week

As rainy and gusty weather clears the Maritimes Tuesday, a round of snow and rain is lined up for Thursday. Following that, a stronger coastal storm needs to be watched for possible heavier snow for parts of the region Saturday.

Rain and wind clears

New Brunswick, mainland Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island will be clear of rain by early Tuesday evening. Rain will clear Cape Breton by mid-to-late evening.

Due to the speed of the weather system, rain totals are expected to be limited to a few to several millimetres in most cases.

The rain is accompanied by a gusty southerly wind. Gusts of 90 to 110 km/h are expected in northern Inverness County, Cape Breton and a wind warning is in effect there. The wind is forecast to diminish Tuesday evening and night.

Wednesday is generally fair with a mix of sun and cloud and highs of 3 to 8 degrees. A mix of snow and rain returns Wednesday night into Thursday.

Fair weather for Wednesday. A mix of sun and cloud along with a breezy westerly wind.

Wednesday night and Thursday snow and rain

The next system to affect the region is a Texas Low. The low is expected to move quickly through the northeastern United States and then cross the Maritimes Wednesday night into Thursday.

Northern New Brunswick can expect snow to develop Wednesday evening. Snow will fall across that province by Thursday morning, except for a mix of snow and rain in southern areas. A mix of snow and rain is expected for Prince Edward Island and northern areas of Nova Scotia. Atlantic coastal Nova Scotia will see mostly rain.

Much of New Brunswick, as well as western Prince Edward Island, can expect about 4 to 10 cm of snow from the system. The rest of Prince Edward Island and northern Nova Scotia are limited to 4 cm of snow or less, along with 5 to 10 mm of rain. Atlantic coastal Nova Scotia picking up 10 to 15 mm of rain.

Winds will be gusty on Thursday, with the peak gusts 30 to 60 km/h. The wind direction will switch quickly from southeast-to-northwest, morning-to-afternoon.

The Wednesday night into Thursday weather is a mix of snow and rain for the Maritimes.

Weekend coastal storm

A low-pressure system is expected to develop off the coastline of the Carolinas by Friday morning. The low would then strengthen into a storm as it moves northward. The expected track of the storm takes it just east of Nova Scotia and into eastern Newfoundland Saturday.

That has more potential to be a snow event for Nova Scotia because the passage of the storm to the east allows colder air to remain in place as moisture is wrapped back into the province around the storm.

How much snow will fall largely depends on how close the storm passes to the province. There has been significant change in guidance for that over the last 24 hours and I expect that further change could be seen over the next 24 to 36 hours.

That makes it too early to bring in a snow total forecast for specific areas. I expect that will come into focus by Thursday. This type of weather system has the potential to produce snow totals of 15-plus cm for areas though. Keep tabs on the forecast for late Friday night and Saturday.

A developing coastal storm may bring heavier snow to parts of the region Saturday. The amount and location of that snow to come into focus over the next couple of days.