Maritime weekend weather: Cold start and snowy finish

Colder temperatures lie ahead for the weekend in the Maritimes with another swipe of snow and rain expected Sunday.

Thursday storm reports

As expected, New Brunswick caught the lion’s share of snow on Thursday. Reports from northern areas of the province totalled 15-to-22 cm. Snow amounts are lower in the south of the province with more rain mixing in.

Snow also started in areas of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island on Thursday morning before changing to rain. The snow, when combined with cold surfaces, created slick road conditions. Total precipitation for those province combining snow and rain totalled a general 10-to-32 mm.

Wind gusts at Plateau in Inverness, Cape Breton clocked in at 135 km/h. Gusts on the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia reached 80-to-90 km/h and peak gusts near 80 km/h were reported at coastal areas of Prince Edward Island.

Snow and combined snow-rain reports from select sites in the Maritimes. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)

Cold and snow squalls

It will be a chilly Friday for the Maritimes with a gusty westerly wind keeping afternoon temperatures near and below freezing.

Temperatures continue to plummet Saturday night with low temperatures of -7 C to -14 C for much of the region except closer to -16 C in northern areas of New Brunswick. High temperatures on Saturday will be -4 C to -8 C for most except -2 C to -4 C on the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia.

An early season taste of bitter cold for the Maritimes Friday night and Saturday. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)

The wind will ease a bit for Saturday with gusts falling into a range of 20-to-40 km/h. It will still be breezy enough to add a bit of extra bite to the air.

Where the cold wind is blowing in off ocean waters, flurries and snow squalls are possible. The most intense snow squall activity expected in northern Inverness County, Cape Breton where the Highlands could pick up 20-to-30 cm of snow Friday through Saturday. A snow squall watch in effect for the area.

Other areas such as the North Shore of mainland Nova Scotia, Annapolis Valley, Digby/Yarmouth Counties, and eastern Prince Edward Island could also pick up snow totals ranging from a few to several centimetres over that period of time.

The cold westerly wind will carry flurries and snow squalls onshore for parts of the Maritimes. Inverness County, Cape Breton with the highest risk of prolonged snow squalls. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)

Sunday snow and rain

A fast moving Alberta Clipper will return a mix of snow and rain to the Maritimes on Sunday.

Snow is expected to start in the west of the region Sunday morning and quickly spread to eastern parts by early afternoon. A change to rain in the afternoon is likely for Nova Scotia and eastern Prince Edward Island.

Snow amounts could range from five-to-10 cm for much of the Maritimes. Snow totals lower where a change to rain takes place. Some of the higher elevations of New Brunswick could pick up locally higher amounts of 10-to-15 cm.

If you have travel plans on Sunday, keep on top of the forecast as it looks like enough to create snowy, slippery road conditions.

A fast moving low pressure system brings a widespread 5 to 10 cm of snow to the Maritimes Sunday. Lower amounts where a change to rain takes place, mostly for Nova Scotia. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)