Nova Scotia·Weather

Snowy, icy, windy Wednesday: An hour-by-hour breakdown of what to expect from storm

CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon says challenging travel conditions are to be expected as a storm system passes over Nova Scotia starting early Wednesday.

Mix of snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, rain and gusty winds on Wednesday

Ryan Snoddon · CBC News · Posted: Feb 12, 2019 1:58 PM EST | Last Updated: February 13, 2019

This story was originally published Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019.

As has been the case all winter, this weather system is bringing yet another round of snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, rain and wind to Nova Scotia through the day Wednesday.

Most schools across the province are closed and many flights have been cancelled. Travel will be impacted for most of the day, so here's a breakdown of what you can expect and when.

6 to 10 a.m. – Snowy morning commute

During the morning commute, we'll see the snow and winds ramp up with gusts 60-80 km/h for the Halifax region and across much of central Nova Scotia.

The latest closures, delays and cancellations across Nova Scotia

Snow on the roads with blowing snow and reduced visibility will make it a difficult commute for most.

At the same time, snow will be mixing with ice pellets and even some freezing rain over southwest Nova Scotia. Winds will be gusting 70-100 km/h over the southwest and wind warnings are in effect.

The snow begins during the commute over north and eastern Nova Scotia, as well as Cape Breton.

We'll see a lot of ice pellets mixing in with the snow across the Maritimes on Wednesday.<br>Some freezing rain likely too. <br>Here's a quick refresher on snow vs ice pellets vs freezing rain vs hail. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nsstorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nsstorm</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nbstorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nbstorm</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pestorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pestorm</a> <a href="https://t.co/J1kZs1m3V7">pic.twitter.com/J1kZs1m3V7</a>
—@ryansnoddon

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. – Ice, ice baby

Snow will mix to ice pellets across most of mainland Nova Scotia around midday. Shovelling or walking outside will be flat out unpleasant (if not painful!) when ice pellets couple with winds gusting 60-80 km/h.

Areas over southwest Nova Scotia will mix to freezing rain, rain and then drizzle as temperatures rise above the freezing mark. Winds will continue to howl.

11 a.m., Wednesday: Join CBC meteorologists Ryan Snoddon, Tina Simpkin and Jay Scotland on Facebook for a live update on the weather.

3 p.m. - 7 p.m. – Messy commute home

For the Halifax metro region and most of mainland Nova Scotia, we should be seeing a mix from ice pellets to freezing rain and then drizzle during the commute home and supper hour. This will bring its own challenges for travellers. Expect to use lots of windshield washer fluid as temperatures near the freezing mark.

Winds will continue to gust 60-80 km/h.

Cape Breton will transition from snow to ice pellets during the commute home.

7 p.m. to midnight – Clean-up time

While Cape Breton continues to see ice pellets mixing in through the evening, the rest of mainland Nova Scotia will see generally dry conditions for shovelling and cleaning up the snow and ice of the day.

Temperatures will start the evening in the low to mid single digits, then fall back to freezing by midnight. A chance of drizzle will mix back to flurries as winds ease with gusts 50-60 km/h for most.

Thursday morning

Some onshore flurries and snow squalls developing overnight Wednesday and through Thursday morning will bring another trace to a few cm locally. Northwest winds gusting 50-70 km/h will make for more blustery conditions for the Thursday drive to work, especially for the southwest, valley and central regions, including Halifax.

A chance of onshore flurries continues through the day on Thursday with winds staying breezy.

Another rainy warm-up

And finally a quick heads up that a system set to move in through Friday and Saturday is looking likely to bring another round of rain, gusty winds and mild temperatures.