Next round of snow for the Maritimes expected late Tuesday into Wednesday

It was a snowy start to the week for parts of southwestern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as another low-pressure system moved off the continent and cut to the south.

Reports from Yarmouth and Shelburne counties in Nova Scotia ranged from several up to 15 cm of snow Monday morning.

A report from Grand Manan, N.B., also came in with 11 cm of snow. Only light snow was reported in other areas of the Maritimes Monday morning, though flurries did continue for parts of Cape Breton during the day as a cold, northerly wind continued over the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The next weather system to effect the region is a strong low-pressure system that was centred over the midwestern United States Monday evening. While the centre of that system is forecast to track northward into southern Ontario and then Hudson Bay, the associated weather fronts push out to the U.S. eastern seaboard. Those fronts will help trigger the development of a second low-pressure system that will once again be carried by the jet stream to the south of the Maritimes.

A trough of low pressure between two lows, one to our south and one near Hudson Bay, will be enough to bring snow the region late Tuesday into Wednesday.

That combination will put the Maritimes into a trough of low-pressure between the two systems late Tuesday into Wednesday. There will be enough moisture and lift in that trough to produce snow.

Snow is forecast to begin by Tuesday evening in western New Brunswick and southwestern Nova Scotia, with snow becoming more widespread overnight. Snow-covered roads along with still falling snow should be expected in western New Brunswick and western Nova Scotia Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon into evening will see that snow ease to scattered areas of flurries.

A snowy start to the day for at least western areas of the Maritimes on Wednesday. A breezy easterly wind will accompany the falling snow.

The snow is expected to accumulate the most in western areas of both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. There is a widespread 5 to 10 cm expected, with possible pockets of 10 to 15 cm. Eastern New Brunswick, eastern Nova Scotia including Cape Breton, and Prince Edward Island will likely see a lighter snow or flurries from the system.

An easterly wind with gusts of 20 to 40 km/h will accompany the falling snow.

A second low-pressure system is forecast to move out of New England Thursday morning. The path of that low is expected to bring it closer to the southwest of Nova Scotia. More snow is forecast for the Maritimes from it and it may have a higher potential to bring in some amounts of 15 cm or more. That potential for a heavier snow is highest for Nova Scotia at the moment. Snow amounts for the Thursday system should come into focus by Tuesday evening.