Messy March nor'easter to bring snow, slush and rain Tuesday

Rainfall and winter storm warnings have been issued for parts of Nova Scotia as a nor'easter moves up the Eastern Seaboard and toward the Bay of Fundy late Tuesday into Wednesday.

First comes the snow

Snow is expected to begin in the southwestern part of the province by mid-afternoon on Tuesday, then spread up the South Shore and Annapolis Valley. It should reach the Halifax area between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

By 8 p.m. Tuesday. the snow will spread across most of the mainland and across Cape Breton by 10 p.m. to midnight. 

In most cases you can expect about four hours of snowfall before it turns to rain.

That will limit the snowfall to between five centimetres and 10 centimetres around the Atlantic coastline, with other areas of the province seeing mostly 10 centimetres to 15 centimetres. Cumberland and Colchester counties may see close to 20 centimetres of snow.

Then, the rain

After that, prepare for rain. As much as 20 millimetres to 40 millimetres is expected to follow the snow, so watch out for hydroplaning conditions on the roads and some localized flooding.

Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings for the southern and southeastern parts of the province, including Halifax.

The rain is expected to be mostly clear by 6 a.m. on Wednesday, with lighter showers or drizzle lingering into the afternoon.

It'll be windy, too

East and southeast winds with the storm will increase Tuesday evening and night.

Peak gusts of 70 km/h to 100 km/h can be expected with the strongest gusts occurring along exposed areas of the coast and in higher terrain.

Due to the easterly direction of the winds and the topography of the Cape Breton Highlands, gusts in Inverness County will likely exceed 100 km/h Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. Environment Canada has issued a wind warning for Inverness County.