Freezing rain, ice and snow to hit Nova Scotia Thursday night

The Maritimes are in for another winter storm over the next few days. 

There will be a very tight gradient between the areas that see heavy snow, those that see a mixture of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain and then those that see significant freezing. A slight shift in track would alter these boundaries.

Northern Nova Scotia is under a winter-storm warning from Environment Canada. Cumberland and Colchester County regions look likely to see the heaviest snowfall with lots of ice pellets mixing in and total amounts up to 30 cm possible.

Those areas will see a switch from rain to freezing rain quickly Thursday night, with ice pellets and snow beginning to mix through early Friday morning.

The Annapolis Valley through Hants County to Truro, across the Northumberland Shore and into northern Cape Breton will look set to see some snow, but lots of ice pellets and the risk of extended and significant freezing rain. 

Further south from Digby county to Halifax to Sydney, heavy rainfall and a significant freezing rain is on the way.

This extended period of freezing rain will lead to ice building up on surfaces like roads, sidewalks, trees and power lines. The risk of power outages is increasing for much of Nova Scotia and now is a good time to make sure your emergency kits, including batteries and flashlights are ready to go.  

It appears areas in the southwest of the province for Yarmouth, Shelburne and Queens counties, temperatures will remain warm enough to keep freezing rain threat low, however the risk of localized flooding from the heavy rainfall is highest here. 

Rain, drizzle and fog will this evening, however as we move into the overnight, an incoming front will drop our temperatures and trigger a mix from rain to ice and snow.

Northern areas will mix from rain to ice and snow quickly late evening and early overnight as the winds shift to northerly.

With the exception of the extreme southwest, southern areas of the province will see the rain mix to freezing rain overnight and into early Friday morning.

Places near the Atlantic coast from Lunenburg County through Halifax and down the Eastern Shore are looking set to ride right near the freezing mark on Friday. While it's possible that temperatures here will rise above zero at times, it's important to remember that rain can still freeze onto surfaces that are still at and below freezing, including things that are already covered in ice.

The messy mix of snow, ice pellets and heavy at times freezing rain will continue in the north and heavy at times rain and freezing rain will continue in the south throughout the afternoon. Northerly winds 20, gusting 30 to 40 km/h aren't strong for our normal storm standards in this province, however will be enough to raise the risk of power outages. 

As we move into Friday evening it's more of the same, however dropping temperatures will push the freezing rain threat into southwestern Nova Scotia. The risk of power outages will continue to rise as the ice continues to build up in areas seeing the most significant freezing rain. 

Friday night into Saturday morning, it appears we'll finally see our system begin to shift and the icy mess begin to change back over to flurries from north to south, with flurries gradually clearing from west to east through the afternoon and evening. 

Stay tuned for updates on CBC Radio, TV and online for updates over the next two days as this storm tracks through.