Messy storm set for the Maritimes on Thursday

The storm is expected to bring snow, ice pellets, freezing rain and rain to the region.

Storm will bring snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, rain and gusty winds

Ryan Snoddon · CBC News · Posted: Feb 11, 2025 1:39 PM EST | Last Updated: February 12

Snow and ice pellets coming to N.S. for Thursday

1 month ago

1:38

CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon outlines what people can expect and when.

An incoming storm will bring a messy mix to the Maritimes on Thursday.

The Colorado Low, a type of weather system that originates from Colorado, will impact travel as it brings in snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, rain and gusty winds for Thursday and into Thursday night.

The heaviest snowfall is looking set for New Brunswick where widespread amounts of 15 to 25 centimetres are on the way for central and northern areas.

A graphic shows how much precipitation the storm could bring to the Maritimes. — Nova Scotia is set to see a messy mix of snow, ice pellets, freezing rain and rain (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

Further south, the snowfall will be lower, however there may be a prolonged period of three to six hours of ice pellets and freezing rain.

Ice pellets are problematic and do make for tricky travel conditions. However, freezing rain can be far more impactful as it leads to an icy coating on surfaces and can lead to power outages, especially when the winds kick up.

A graphic depicts the difference between freezing rain and ice pellets at the difference between a glazed donut and a sprinkled donut. — Ice pellets can make for tricky travel, but freezing rain creates an icy coating that can also cause power outages. (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

Southeast winds are likely to gust from 50 to 70 km/h across most of Nova Scotia. Stronger gusts in the 70 to 80 km/h range look likely for Cape Breton. Les Suetes winds will gust up to 130 km/h in Inverness County, north of Mabou.

The snow is set to begin on Thursday morning for western Nova Scotia before spreading eastward. The snow is set to begin midday for central areas, including Halifax and then move into eastern areas throughout the afternoon.

A graphic shows the expected timeline of the storm. — Wind gusts could reach 60 km/h in the Lunenburg area early Thursday afternoon, before ramping up across the province later in the day. (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

That snow will mix to ice pellets and freezing rain across western and central Nova Scotia throughout the afternoon hours. This will lead to slick and messy driving conditions for the afternoon commute. Eastern Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton, will see a mix over to ice throughout the evening and into Thursday night.