Wednesday storm to bring snow, rain, and strong winds to the Maritimes

Parts of the South Shore of Nova Scotia picked up 10 to 20 cm of snow on Sunday. A few reports from Yarmouth County show totals closer to 25 cm.

It was only southwestern parts of Nova Scotia impacted by the storm system due to it tracking south and east of the province. The same can’t be said for the next low pressure system that will impact the region Wednesday.

Volunteer snow reports for Sunday into Monday morning.

The next storm is currently in Texas. Over the next two days, it will take a path into the northeastern United States and then pass the Maritimes either through northern New Brunswick or the St. Lawrence River Valley. This places the Maritimes on the eastern side of the storm, which will be characterized by a period of snow turning to rain along with a high and gusty southeast wind.

Snow arrives first Wednesday morning in western New Brunswick and western Nova Scotia. Then, snow turning to rain spreads east across the Maritimes for the afternoon. For many areas, the snow should be limited to 5 to 10 cm before a turn to rain. Higher snow and ice pellet accumulation is possible for parts of central and northern New Brunswick, 10 to 25 cm. The rain will range 10 to 30 mm. Melting snow and ice along with the frozen ground will lead to more water runoff than the same amount of rain during the milder months. If you can, it would be a good idea to clear any snow/ice blocked drainage on your property to help with drainage.

The Wednesday storm brings snow turning to rain. The most snow and ice pellet accumulation will be in parts of central and northern New Brunswick.

Wind is going to be an issue. A round of southeast gusts peaking as high as 80 to 110 km/h is expected to come across southern New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island on Wednesday. Peak gusts in northern Inverness County, Cape Breton, will reach 130 km/h Wednesday evening and night due to the topography of the Highlands. Any time we have winds that high there is going to be a risk of power outages and possible delays in travel services, such as the ferries.

Weather conditions improve Wednesday night as snow and rain ends and the wind begins to diminish.

A high and gusty southeast wind will accompany the mix of precipitation for a large part of the Maritimes.

Environment Canada has issued special weather statements for all three Maritimes provinces advising of the storm and the mix of precipitation and strong winds it is expected to bring. The same storm has triggered a winter storm watch in Ontario and Quebec, which are on the snowier, western side of the system.

I’ll have daily updates, timelines, and regional weather conditions on CTV News Atlantic programming and at ctvnewsatlantic.ca.