Maritimes can expect another wave of rain Thursday

A slow-moving and broad area of rain accompanied by localized thundershowers and downpours inundated much of the Maritimes with more than 20, 30 and even 40 millimetres of rain over the last 24 hours.

Three parts of the region in particular saw some high rainfall totals.

Those regions are Charlotte County and Grand Manan in N.B., much of the Atlantic coastline of mainland N.S. and Queens County, P.E.I. Local rainfall totals of 40 to 60 mm have been reported from all three of those areas and in some cases, the heavy rain contributed to localized flooding.

The highest rainfall reports I've been able to find for each province so far include: Hammonds Plains, N.S. with 69.6 mm, St. Stephen, N.B. with 44.8 mm and Bonshaw, P.E.I. with 59.7 mm.

What's left of the area of rain has stalled over Cape Breton where it will gradually ease to showers this evening. Unfortunately, another wave of rain is on the way for Thursday.

That will begin in the west of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick tomorrow morning, move across the Maritimes during the day on Thursday, finally lifting north and east of Cape Breton and P.E.I before sunrise on Friday. 

Additional rainfall amounts of 10 to 20 mm are expected for many and given the saturated ground plus the recent heavy rain, localized flooding is a possibility. 

The rain will mix with wet snow in northern New Brunswick where the temperatures will be cooler.

By the end of the day on Thursday, slushy accumulations of 2 cm to 10 cm may be on the ground from Edmundston through Cambellton/Dalhousie, the Mount Carleton-Renous Highway area, Bathurst and the Acadian Peninsula, and then as far south as Miramichi.