Weather deja vu: Saturday storm system to mirror Wednesday’s snow, rain and wind

A person braves the elements along the Emera Oval in Halifax on Jan. 10, 2024. (Carl Pomeroy/CTV Atlantic)

A large storm system that passed just the west of the Maritimes Wednesday brought a combination of snow, rain, and high winds.

According to the network of volunteer observers at CoCoRaHS Canada, the most snow fell in northern areas of New Brunswick, with some locations totalling between 16 and 25 cm.

Snow reports from Wednesday.

The initial snow turned from ice pellets over to rain across most of the Maritimes, with the combination of precipitation bringing some totals of 20 to 40 mm.

Total precipitation reports from Wednesday. This would include melt from snow and ice pellets as well as rain.

A high and gusty southeast wind accompanied the mix of precipitation. Peak winds gusts reach 80 to near 100 km/h around the Bay of Fundy coastline in New Brunswick, much of Nova Scotia, and much of Cape Breton. Due to the topography of the Cape Breton Highlands, fierce winds ripped through the area from St. Joseph du Moine to Cheticamp in Inverness County. Personal weather stations in the area clocked gusts of 140 to 170 km/h.

Peak wind gusts reported on Wednesday at weather stations across the region.

SATURDAY SYSTEM

A very similar storm system is expected to impact the Maritime region on Saturday. Once again, it will be a developing storm moving from near Texas towards southern Ontario and the northeastern United States. That track puts the Maritimes on the eastern side of the storm. A mix of snow and ice pellets turning to rain is expected for most of the region again.

Northern areas of New Brunswick will see the most snow with 10 to 20 cm possible. Central and western areas of New Brunswick should receive 5 to 10 cm, along with the Cape Breton Highlands. Much of the rest of the Maritimes looks likely to see 5 cm or less before a turn to rain. Nova Scotia and southwestern New Brunswick will see as much as 10 to 20 mm of rain. Watch for increased water runoff from the combination of rainfall and snow/ice melt. Sunday morning there is a risk of icy conditions as temperatures come back down towards freezing.

Another mix of snow turning over to rain is expected for the region on Saturday.

WATCH FOR WIND

The mix of precipitation will be accompanied by a high and gusty southeast wind. Widespread gusts will peak 50 to 70 km/h across the Maritimes Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening. Stronger gusts of 70 to 100 km/h are a risk for coastal New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Due to the topography of the Highlands, northern Inverness County in Cape Breton could reach gusts of 130 km/h or higher.

A bump up in temperature along with a strong southeast wind is also expected.

On Saturday, the wind will come with similar impacts as Wednesday. That includes a risk of scattered power outages, travel disruption, and a rough and pounding coastal surf. Due to crashing waves and the wind, water levels could reach above the typical mark during high tides on Saturday.

Special weather statements were issued by Environment Canada for the Maritime provinces at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The statements call for a storm “similar to the one which impacted the region on Wednesday, will affect the Maritime provinces this weekend.” Along with mixed precipitation and strong wind, they caution that tides will be near astronomical highs and that water levels could be elevated on parts of the coast. They advise the public to continue to monitor the forecast and any further alerts issued by the agency.

CTV meteorologist Kalin Mitchell will have updates, timelines, and regional weather conditions through the end of the week on CTV News Atlantic programming and at ctvnewsatlantic.ca.