Travel Not Recommended As Storm Threatens Atlantic Canada With Hefty Snow

By Travel Destination 29 Jan, 2024 Post a Comment

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A storm clipping the southern areas of Atlantic Canada will graze the region enough to bring a fair amount of snow to the region this week.

Widespread snowfall warnings and winter storm watches are in place in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, respectively. Some areas could see 20 cm of snow, or higher, locally.

Prepare for widespread travel delays and likely cancellations as a result of the heavy, wind-driven snow.

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Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. There may be a significant impact on rush-hour traffic in urban areas.

Storm cranks up Monday morning

A system swiping the Great Lakes will move over New England before heading offshore Sunday night. Meanwhile, a stout ridge of high pressure over Labrador and the Gaspe Peninsula will act like a guard rail, forcing the system to remain south and avoid tracking directly over Atlantic Canada.

Precipitation will begin sliding into southern Nova Scotia through the overnight hours Sunday and into early Monday morning. Cold air persisting over the Maritimes will make this a snow event for just about everyone expecting precipitation. A little bit of mixing is possible at times along the far southern tip of Nova Scotia.

Snowfall rates to increase Monday

We’ll see snowfall increase in coverage and intensity across Nova Scotia through Monday morning. Light snow will also begin spilling over into New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Snowfall rates could climb as high as 2-3 cm per hour in Nova Scotia, which will make for difficult travel—especially in and around Halifax.

A sharp pressure gradient between our low-pressure system to the south and the strong area of high pressure to the north will allow gusty winds to crank up during the height of the storm. This will increase the threat for heavy, blowing snow on Monday.

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Reduced visibility will make for hazardous travel for several hours on Monday morning.

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Snow will begin to taper off from west to east across Nova Scotia by Monday afternoon and evening as the storm tracks toward Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula.

Some of the heaviest snowfall rates with this system are forecast to cross the Avalon, where as much as 3 cm an hour could accumulate. It is also an area that could experience a few hours of blizzard conditions, as heavy snowfall rates are paired with gusty winds.

Forecasters expect the heaviest snowfall totals across Nova Scotia and eastern Newfoundland. Widespread totals of 15-20 cm are on tap for the southern half of Nova Scotia. Halifax could see up to 15 cm of snow. Locally higher totals are possible along portions of the South Shore.

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Most folks on the Avalon Peninsula can expect 5-10 cm of snow from this system, with higher totals approaching 15 cm closer to Trepassey and Cape Race.

A dusting of less than 5 cm of snow is in the forecast for eastern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, including Saint John, Moncton, and Charlottetown.

Temperatures will remain quite chilly in the wake of the storm, with daytime high temperatures remaining far below freezing across the region, with even colder wind chill values.

Be sure to check back for all the latest on your forecast across Atlantic Canada.