Say goodbye to the fall foliage as mid-week storm may blow trees bare
Heavy rain and strong winds are on the way, especially for southwestern areas of the province.
It's been a wonderful start to the fall season across Nova Scotia.
We've seen plenty of sunshine, not many windy days, and temperatures have been well above seasonal.
That combination, along with our wet summer season, has also led to a great season for viewing the colourful leaves and many trees are still loaded with foliage.
This tree landscape is set to change in a big way this week, as the first fall storm of the season makes its way through the northeast U.S. and the southern Maritimes.
While the track of the storm will be to our south, it will be close enough that much of Nova Scotia is looking set to see some heavy rain and gusty winds.
We'll see a few showers out ahead of the system, however the bulk of the rain will arrive through Tuesday night, continuing Wednesday and into Thursday.
The fall storm season kicks off (for some) this week, as low moving through the Great Lakes merges with a low moving up the eastern seaboard.<br>The newly formed storm will track south of the Maritimes, bringing some heavy rain & gusty winds to Nova Scotia. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nsstorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nsstorm</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nswx?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nswx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Halifax?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Halifax</a> <a href="https://t.co/2yFO9vWpyJ">pic.twitter.com/2yFO9vWpyJ</a>
—@ryansnoddonThe heaviest rain looks likely for southwestern Nova Scotia and the Atlantic coastline, which is where we'll see the best chances for totals to exceed 50 mm.
The exact track of the storm will be key, as we'll see a sharp gradient and totals will drop off quickly to the north of the system. Stay tuned for updates on rainfall totals over the next couple of days.
The other story will be the strong winds, as this storm system looks capable of bringing widespread wind gusts in the 60-90+ km/h range on Wednesday.
With the trees still loaded, expect the leaves to be flying as the winds strengthen on Wednesday. All the freshly fallen leaves will lead to a greater possibility of clogged storm drains and downspouts, as well as some localized flooding.
Any Halloween decorations that could be tossed by these gusty winds should also be secured.
Emergency kit check up
These types of winds also bring the potential for some power outages and while it may seem early, we are entering the stormy season and a quick check of your batteries and emergency kit supplies is never a bad idea.
In fact, it appears that we'll see another rainy and windy system track into the region this weekend.
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