Grab the shovels: Snow forecast Wednesday night for Nova Scotia

The first significant snowfall of the season is getting set to roll into Nova Scotia on Wednesday night, continuing into Thursday.

While the eventual track of the system will be key and a shift to north or south could alter totals, the latest forecast models are in fairly good agreement that we'll see a solid swath ranging from 15 to 25 centimetres across the province.

The highest amounts are expected just inland along the Atlantic coastline, where closer to 30 centimetres are possible, especially in the South Shore region. 

Amounts will drop quickly to the north of the system, with amounts ranging from five to 15 centimetres.

Northerly winds will also kick up with this system through Wednesday night and into Thursday, leading to localized blowing and drifting.

Generally, gusts of 50 to 70 km/h are looking set for the mainland, while 60 to 80 km/h gusts are on tap for Cape Breton on Thursday.

Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings for the entire province for Wednesday night. 

Timeline

The snow will begin Wednesday afternoon in the southwestern area and then slowly track eastward across the mainland through the evening and overnight.

The steadiest snow is looking set to taper off to flurries through Thursday morning for most of the mainland. However, it's a good bet that the morning commute will be heavily impacted by the snow already on the ground. 

The snow will linger for longer along the Northumberland Shore and especially across Cape Breton on Thursday, with the winds increasing as well. Travel through much of the day will likely be slick and snowy.