High winds, heavy snow from nor'easter to give East Coast a winter wallop
A potent nor’easter is on the way to Atlantic Canada to close out the weekend, threatening much of the region with heavy snowfall and blustery conditions into Monday
A strong nor'easter is knocking on the doorsteps of Atlantic Canada and will soon bring impactful, wintry conditions to the region as the weekend ends and the week begins.
Residents should prepare for potential travel issues, including a dicey Monday morning commute, as well as the risk for power outages in areas where winds gust to more than 100 km/h. As well, anticipate school delays or closures with a swath of 10-30 cm of snow, depending on location.
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Roads and walkways will likely be difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Local utility outages are possible. Be sure to keep up with the latest highway conditions before hitting the road.
Nor'easter threatens snow and high winds
Forecasters are watching a developing storm off the U.S. East Coast that will affect Atlantic Canada late Sunday and into Monday. This system will rapidly intensify as it approaches the region, potentially meeting weather bomb criteria.
Cold air to the north combined with subtropical moisture pushing in from the south will lead to widespread precipitation spreading over the Maritimes on Sunday overnight and into Newfoundland through the overnight hours.
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Slick roads and slushy conditions are forecast across Nova Scotia roads, with heavy, accumulating snow.
A heavy swath of snow will spread over the Maritimes and then move on to Newfoundland as the storm traverses the area. Widespread totals of 10-20+ cm are expected. Localized totals in excess of 30 cm may fall across higher terrain in western Cape Breton and western Newfoundland.
The Maritimes through Sunday overnight are expected to see snowfall rates as high as 3-5 cm an hour, and that include Halifax.
Warm, southerly winds blowing over the Avalon Peninsula will keep precipitation predominantly rainfall, which will limit accumulations around St. John’s to just 3-5 cm.
A rapidly strengthening low-pressure system is a recipe for high wind gusts, especially in Newfoundland, where this will be the latest in a series of windstorms to hit the region lately.
Winds will ramp up through the day Monday across the Avalon Peninsula. Folks in St. John’s could see gusts exceed 100 km/h by the late afternoon hours on Monday.
Dangerous travel conditions are expected across central and western Newfoundland through Monday as heavy snow and a wintry mix continues, especially along the Trans-Canada Highway west of Clarenville, extending to Corner Brook.
The active storm track that’s buffeted the East Coast in recent weeks continues as we head into the second half of January. Several systems are set to swing through the region with gusty winds and the whole spectrum of wintry precipitation.
Stay with The Weather Network for all the latest on conditions across Atlantic Canada.