First taste of winter with up to 30 cm of snow for parts of the shipping, more rain in Nova Scotia

Precipitation will push into southern New Brunswick starting Thursday afternoon. As the storm enters the region, precipitation will begin as rain in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia before snow begins to make its way into New Brunswick and eventually cross into Cumberland County, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. That means most of the Maritimes can expect to receive a few hours of rain before the snow arrives. This storm will have a warm sector along its southern side, with temperatures remaining in the single digits, resulting in precipitation falling as rain over most of Nova Scotia during the event.

Both the rain and snow will begin to intensify later this evening as the edge of the storm reaches PEI. Snowfall rates of up to 5 cm/hour are likely at times in central and northeastern New Brunswick overnight and Friday morning, leading to over 20 cm of snow accumulation over 12 hours.

In Nova Scotia, on the other hand, widespread rainfall amounts of 10-30 mm are expected, adding to what has already been a very wet month for parts of the province. The Annapolis Valley and Northhumberland Shore could see a brief transition from rain to light snow overnight with temperatures approaching freezing, but little to no accumulation is expected. Meanwhile, air in the higher elevations of the Cape Breton Highlands will be cool enough for snow to fall for the duration of the storm, and the area can expect 5-10 cm.

In Prince Edward Island, the heavy snowfall will cross into Prince County shortly after midnight, leading to higher snowfall in that part of the island. We expect to see some warmer air pack into the back of the storm in the early morning hours Friday, leading to a transition from rain to snow across southern New Brunswick and into Cumberland County and PEI, limiting snowfall in those areas , as the storm continues to track through the Maritimes.

The rain is expected to begin to taper off in western Nova Scotia during these early morning hours and gradually end across the province through the morning. The rest of the storm will then begin to exit the region just before sunrise, with precipitation eventually ending by mid-afternoon in northeastern New Brunswick.