Nova Scotia·Weather

'Weather bomb' brings strong winds and rain Thursday

CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon says some power outages and localized flooding are likely on Thursday when a strong fall storm hits the Maritimes.

Strong fall storm will likely bring power outages and localized flooding to the Maritimes

Ryan Snoddon · CBC News · Posted: Oct 16, 2019 2:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 16, 2019

Thursday's 'weather bomb' will bring heavy downpours and strong winds to the Maritimes. (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

A powerful fall storm is taking shape today over the northeastern U.S. and it has its sights set on the Maritimes for Thursday.

It will be our season's first "weather bomb," which is a rapidly developing storm that drops 24 or more millibars of central pressure in 24 hours. This rapid strengthening makes the storm a bigger threat for strong winds.

The storm will track into southwestern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick with rain and strengthening winds early Thursday, and then spread northeastward across the rest of the region throughout the morning.

Thankfully, this storm is a quick mover. As you can see with the timeline below, the heaviest rain and strongest winds will blow through in six to eight hours.

Strong winds

The largest impact from this storm will be from the winds, and some power outages look likely.

In Nova Scotia, we're looking at widespread east-southeast gusts in the 70 to 90 km/h range, with gusts 90 to 110 km/h along the Atlantic coastline from Yarmouth to Cape Breton.

Gusts in excess of 110 km/h are certainly possible for exposed areas of the coast like Baccaro Point, Beaver Island and the usual spots in these types of events. Les Suetes winds will likely top 130 km/h.

Snapshot of wind gusts near lunchtime on Thursday. Wind gusts up to and exceeding 90 km/h are possible for east and southeast facing coastal regions of the Maritimes. (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

In New Brunswick, widespread gusts of 50 to 70 km/h are on tap, with gusts 70 to 90 km/h along the Bay of Fundy coastline and also from Moncton up the Northumberland Strait to the Acadian Peninsula and Bathurst region. Exposed coastal areas could certainly exceed 90 km/h.

Following those peak east and southeast winds, we'll see the winds subside and shift to southwest throughout the day.

High water levels

The storm will be tracking in around high tide for the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia. As a result, higher than normal water levels and pounding surf are likely, including in the Halifax region.

Storm drains could be blocked by fallen leaves during downpours. (CBC)

Heavy rainfall rates during downpours may cause some localized flash flooding, especially where wind-blown fallen leaves will be blocking storm drains.

We're looking generally at 10-30 mm across the region, with some pockets of 30-50 mm amounts, especially in southwest Nova Scotia. In the heaviest downpours we'll likely top 50 mm locally in some areas.

Rainfall totals won't exceed warning criteria for most, however heavy downpours may cause some localized flash flooding. (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

Stay tuned for updates on this storm. I'll be updating the live blog below with fresh details and expanded warnings later today. Of course I'll have the latest on CBC-TV at 6 p.m. this evening.