Windy, wintry mess to roll into the Maritimes on Tuesday

A strong storm is set to roll into the Maritimes on Tuesday, impacting driving conditions and bringing the risk of localized flooding and power outages.

More than 30 centimetres of snow is expected for northern New Brunswick, while more than 50 millimetres of rain is on tap for the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia. There's even a risk of thunderstorms with this storm system. 

Widespread wind gusts of 60-80 km/h are also expected, with coastal gusts of 80-100 km/h.

Areas along the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia, including Halifax, will see the heaviest rainfall with 50-75 millimetres likely and even more possible in localized pockets. With some frost in the ground, this amount of rain will certainly bring the risk of localized flooding, especially in low-lying areas. 

Northern New Brunswick will see the heaviest snowfall with 20-30 centimetres expected. Amounts will drop off to the south where more ice pellets, freezing rain and rain will mix in as temperatures rise. 

Timeline

Overnight Monday: The snow is expected overnight and into the early morning hours of Tuesday for southwestern Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick.

Tuesday morning: This will make for a snowy and slick morning commute for many, including in the Halifax region. 

The snow along with gusty east/northeast winds will spread into the rest of the region throughout the morning, with most seeing snow by lunch time. 

While the snow tracks in, the milder air will be quick to follow. Areas in the southwest of Nova Scotia will be the first to transition to ice and over to rain during the early morning hours of Tuesday.

The strongest winds will begin to arrive at this time as well. 

Tuesday afternoon: The snow-to-ice-to-rain line, along with the strongest winds, will then work from south to north throughout the day. For the Halifax area and the rest of the Atlantic coastline, the snow looks set to transition through ice to rain near lunch time or early Tuesday afternoon.

Northern Nova Scotia will hang on the snow longer, with a mix to some ice then rain through Tuesday afternoon and early evening.

With colder air in place, southern New Brunswick will see a more extended period of ice pellets, along with the risk of freezing rain throughout Tuesday afternoon, before transitioning to rain on Tuesday evening. 

Tuesday evening: Northern New Brunswick will see mostly snow, however some mixing with ice pellets and freezing rain is expected through Tuesday evening and overnight. 

This storm will also bring pounding surf and higher than normal water levels, especially to the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia. Storm surge will be a concern, especially during high tide times late Tuesday morning and again Tuesday evening.

As always, I will keep you posted. Stay tuned for updates on social media, radio and CBC Nova Scotia News at 6.

Early spring?

Tuesday is of course Groundhog Day. As a meteorologist, let's just say I don't hang on every word of our furry rodent prognosticators. That said, Shubenacadie Sam certainly won't be seeing his shadow when he pops outside on Tuesday morning, which means he'll be predicting an early spring for the Maritimes. 

Given the winter we've had so far and yet another round of rain and mild temperatures on the way this week, if Sam is indeed correct, our window for any sustained true winter conditions is closing quickly. 

Long-range climate models are also continuing to show warmer than average temperatures across Atlantic Canada through February and into March.

Keep up to date with our live weather blog, updated every day.