Thousands without power amid damaging winds, here's what's next
The system that brought powerful winds to the Maritimes Wednesday, leaving thousands of people without power, will be affecting Newfoundland by Thursday, though with reduced intensity. Ahead is a cooler and drier weekend, with the next chance of showers next week. More details, below.
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WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Showers end by Thursday morning in Maritimes, afternoon in Newfoundland
Winds subside in Maritimes by Thursday morning, Newfoundland by the afternoon
Colder but drier for the weekend
Stay aware of ALERTS in your area
WATCH BELOW: TRACKING HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE GULF TO NEWFOUNDLAND
The system that fell upon the Maritimes with full force on Wednesday brought plenty of rain, but it was the intense winds that have done the most damage.
Wind gusts greater than 70 km/h have been widespread across the region, though with some impressive outliers, like Grand Etang, N.S., where gusts of 139 km/h were reported Wednesday.
As a result, more than 2,700 Nova Scotia Power customers were in the dark Wednesday evening, though New Brunswick and P.E.I. only featured a handful each.
By Wednesday evening, however, the worst was largely over, with winds set to diminish slowly into the overnight and early morning in the Maritimes as the low-pressure system generating them wanders over the Gulf of St. Lawrence toward Newfoundland.
That province will see the strongest gusts likely in the morning hours and in the southwest, but there, too, they will subside by the afternoon. The southwest is also where the system's heaviest rain will fall into Thursday.
Looking ahead to the weekend, Weather Network meteorologist Dr. Doug Gillham says drier days are ahead.
"Turning much cooler for the weekend but an offshore system looks like it will stay well out to sea and have minimal impact on the region – just some light rain for southwest Nova Scotia on Saturday," Gillham says.
Beyond, Gillham says the Maritimes can expect some showers early next week, and a milder pattern beckons for the midweek.