Winter weather wallop, once again, heading for Maritimes
As much as 35 centimetres expected for some areas, with travel expected to be hazardous
Another wintry mix of weather is on its way to the Maritimes.
Environment Canada is warning anyone with plans to travel in the Maritimes on Saturday that Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island can expect hazardous road conditions.
"Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve," says the warning. "Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. Take extra care when walking or driving in affected areas."
CBC meteorologist Peter Coade notes: "An area of low pressure will develop to our southwest this evening and track to the northeast to cross over Nova Scotia Saturday night and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence to be centred in the northern Gulf by Sunday afternoon."
The national weather service has issued winter storm warnings and freezing rain warnings for much of mainland Nova Scotia, the northern half of Cape Breton, southern and eastern New Brunswick, and all of P.E.I.
"This feature will spread its snow across the Maritimes beginning in northwestern New Brunswick this afternoon and spreading to the rest of the region by tomorrow morning," says Coade.
"However, as the centre approaches the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia overnight, milder temperatures will change the snow to rain before morning along the coast with the risk of freezing rain with ice pellets developing and becoming mixed with the snow in much of the rest of the mainland."
Freezing rain warnings for much of region
Winter storm warnings are in place for Digby, Annapolis and Kings counties, as well as the Cobequid Pass and most counties in the northern half of Nova Scotia.
Winter storm warnings are also in place for the southern half of New Brunswick, as well as northeastern New Brunswick and all of Prince Edward Island. Those areas are expected to receive between 10 and 35 centimetres Saturday, with conditions gradually improving Saturday night.
In Nova Scotia, Halifax counties, southern Colchester County, as well as Antigonish, Guysborough, Hants, Inverness, Pictou and Victoria counties are all under freezing rain warnings for Saturday. Across these areas, snow will change over to freezing rain and ice pellets Saturday morning and into Saturday afternoon.
Northwestern New Bruswick remains under a storm watch, with 10 to 15 centimetres of snow expected by Saturday evening.
Sunday should see a return to more fair weather across the region, says Coade, but that may not last long.
"There are indications of another nor’easter developing for the beginning of the week, but at this time it looks like the cold air returning on Sunday will fend much of that storm off, staying far enough to the south to produce no more than some light snow for Nova Scotia," he says.
"However, that could all change."
With files from Peter Coade