How much snow to expect as storms begin in the Maritimes

Maritimers are getting ready for the first snowfall of the season.

As of early Tuesday afternoon a coastal storm was strengthening rapidly off the coastline of the Carolinas. The storm already pushing a mix of snow and rain up the U.S. eastern seaboard and towards the Maritimes. Snow began falling in western areas of New Brunswick late morning and near noon.

New Brunswick

Snow has already reached western areas of New Brunswick and will continue to develop across the province Tuesday afternoon.

Snow will be light for northern areas of New Brunswick with most amounts ranging from a coating up to 5 cm. Central and southern areas of the province should expect a widespread five-to-10 cm snowfall.

A period of heavier snow is expected overnight for parts of the south of the province, Saint John east to Moncton. That area is under a Special Weather Statement cautioning on possible totals reaching 10-to-15 cm.

The snow is expected to end through Wednesday morning in New Brunswick. There is a chance of some isolated flurries for Wednesday afternoon.

Saint John is 46 pieces of equipment ready to respond to the storm, with 35 related to street clearing efforts and 11 dedicated to sidewalk cleaning.

“The forecast is changing quite a bit from hour to hour with this particular storm, so we are just keeping an eye on that to figure out the best game plan to approach and respond to the storm,” said Tim O’Reilly, Saint John public works director.

O’Reilly reminds people to reduce speeds, have proper winter tires on and avoid street parking when possible.

Nova Scotia

A mix of snow and rain is expected to develop across western Nova Scotia by mid-to-late Tuesday afternoon. The mix then reaching eastern areas of Nova Scotia including Cape Breton Tuesday evening.

The snow will quickly turn to rain for Atlantic coastal areas of the province. The snow-rain boundary moving into the Annapolis Valley, Cumberland/Colchester and the north shore of the province by late Tuesday evening. Overnight the mix will turn back to snow, with snow clearing Nova Scotia west-to-east Wednesday morning through early afternoon.

The most snow accumulation expected in the Annapolis Valley, Cumberland, Colchester, Pictou, Antigonish and the Cape Breton Highlands. A Yellow Warning – Snowfall continues for those areas by Environment Canada. The warning calls for widespread amounts of 20-to-30 cm of snow with higher local amounts possible especially in elevated terrain. That could make for tough travel on the roads that climb into elevation including those around the Annapolis Valley, Cobequid Pass, near Mount Thom, and the Cabot Trail.

An Orange Warning – Snowfall has been issued for the Cape Breton Highlands. The more mountainous area could pick up 30 to 50 cm of snow. An Orange Warning is issued when weather conditions are expected to be more severe, in this case because of the higher snow total expected.

A Yellow Warning – Rainfall is in effect for Yarmouth and Shelburne Counties. A rain total near 50 mm is expected there. Other parts of Atlantic coastal Nova Scotia could pick up 30 to 45 mm of rain.

A Coastal Flooding Statement is in effect for the coastline from western Halifax County through Shelburne County. Crashing waves may cause water to reach above typical high water marks Wednesday morning during high tide.

Wind will be high and gusty from the north and northeast for Nova Scotia Wednesday morning and afternoon. Peak wind gusts are expected to reach 50-to-80 km/h with the strongest gusts on exposed areas of the coast and higher terrain. Due to expected strong winds over the Cabot Strait some sailings have been cancelled between Cape Breton and Newfoundland on Wednesday. Travelers should check ferry service providers websites for the latest updates.

In a late Tuesday afternoon update Environment Canada issued a Yellow Warning – Wind for Cape Breton and Richmond Counties. The warning calling for peak northerly gusts of 90 km/h Wednesday morning and afternoon.

Halifax Airport Authority is focusing its efforts on de-icing planes, plowing runways and having more staff on to aid operations.

“If people have travel plans we would encourage them to check the status of their flight directly with their airline prior to coming to the airport, and also just ensuring that you give yourself lots of extra time to arrive to the airport safely,” said Jessica Kinney, Halifax International Airport Authority communications and marketing advisor.

Kinney says it’s hard to predict what delays or cancellations will come as a result of the storm.

Prince Edward Island

Snow will reach Prince Edward Island late Tuesday afternoon.

The province is expected to remain in snow except for some possible rain on the eastern coastline near Murray Harbour. Prince and Queens Counties are under a Special Weather Statement that calls for 10-to-15 cm of snow. A Yellow Warning – Snowfall has been issued for Kings County, P.E.I., with a potential snowfall of 15 to 20 cm.

A high and gusty northeast wind will develop early Wednesday morning. Peak gusts in Prince Edward Island could also reach 50 to 80 km/h through early Wednesday afternoon. The wind diminishing by Wednesday evening.

The falling/accumulated snow and increasingly gusty wind could make for some tougher travel on roads Wednesday morning. Conditions will be improved for the afternoon.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Avery MacRae