All of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and most of New Brunswick, are under blizzard warnings as a low pressure system set to hammer the United States’ eastern seaboard is forecast to move northeast.
Environment Canada replaced its winter storm warning with a blizzard warning on Monday, saying that snow and blowing snow will make visibility “near zero” at times on Tuesday.
The low-pressure system that has cities including New York hunkering down Monday, for one of the worst blizzards to ever hit the area will move toward the Maritimes overnight.
According to Environment Canada, heavy snow will begin Tuesday morning and move across the region throughout the day.
“Very strong northeast winds gusting to 90 km/h with possible higher gusts will give blizzard conditions with near-zero visibilities on Tuesday,” the agency said in its warnings.
Snowfall amounts between 15 and 30 cm are expected. Parts of Nova Scotia could experience a mix of snow and ice pellets in the afternoon.
The agency also warned travellers not to leave their vehicles should they become stranded in the blizzard, noting that a vehicle offers protection from the cold.
“A single person walking through the snow is harder to find than a stranded car or truck,” the agency warned.
The weather could also affect air travel in the region.
Halifax’s Stanfield International Airport has issued an alert on their website, saying flight schedule changes are anticipated in light of the forecast. They are asking passengers to check their flight status.
Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips said this week’s storm will be far worse than the rain, snow and high winds that hit Atlantic Canada over the weekend.
“That was like the warm-up compared to this particular beast that is bearing down,” Phillips told CTV News Channel on Monday.
Residents should prepare for “a big event” this week, he added.
“That could be blowing and drifting (snow), causing a lot of power outages and white outs,” Phillips said.
The same weather system has also prompted Environment Canada to issue a special weather statement for Newfoundland and Labrador. The agency predicts a “variety of winter weather” for the region, including snow and blowing snow beginning midday Tuesday.
Most of Newfoundland will receive between seven and 15 cm of snow, with more possible along the Northern Peninsula.
Snow will change to ice pellets, freezing rain and then rain in the east and south on Tuesday night.
The low pressure system is threatening to bring as much as 60 centimetres of snow to an area from northern New Jersey to southern Maine on Monday and Tuesday. A blizzard warning has been issued for a 400-km stretch of the U.S. Northeast.
Residents across that region have to prepare for heavy snowfall and hurricane-force winds that will send eight-metre waves hammering coastal areas, Phillips said.
That will be followed by a dramatic drop in temperature.
“I don’t think we can diminish this particular event.”
Management at Montreal’s Pierre Trudeau International Airport says at least half of the flights between Montreal and New York, and Montreal and Boston have been cancelled ahead of the storm.
Air Canada said that as of Monday morning, all of their East Coast-bound flights have been cancelled, as the airline company monitors changes in weather.
