How weather conditions change in the Maritimes Wednesday night into Thursday morning

Chief meteorologist Kalin Mitchell shares the Maritime weather forecast for March 11.

Parts of the region are in store for a snowy and icy March night. The most snow concentrated around northern New Brunswick. Freezing rain occurring for much of the remainder of that province, Prince Edward Island, and even a few parts of Nova Scotia.

Snow and ice pellets

The northernmost communities of New Brunswick will receive the most accumulation in snow and ice pellets. Total amounts of 15-to-25 cm and the affected counties remain under a Yellow Warning – Winter Storm.

The mix of snow and ice pellets extends into the overnight but turns to freezing rain by Thursday morning. The freezing rain extending through the morning before turning to drizzle in the afternoon as temperatures rise above zero.

Snow and ice-covered roads will make for difficult travel both Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The ice pellets and freezing rain mixing with the snow will make it heavy to move. Be sure to take breaks and not overstrain if clearing it.

Freezing rain

Freezing rain will fall Wednesday night for much of New Brunswick. The exception may be directly on the Bay of Fundy coastline where temperatures stay slightly above zero. Central and western parts of the province are at greatest risk of ice accretion (collection on surfaces) of five-to-10 mm. That amount of accretion increases the risk of tree branches being bowed or snapped by the weight and causing scattered outages if they contact power lines.

Prince Edward Island can expect freezing rain tonight with the iciest conditions in the west of the province. A Yellow Warning – Freezing Rain extends across central New Brunswick and into Prince County, P.E.I.

In Nova Scotia a lighter freezing rain is expected in northern and eastern parts of the province. While the ice accretion won’t be as much as New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island it could still certainly create some slick surfaces. There is a risk of some patchy, light freezing rain in interior areas of the west of the province. Communities on or near the Atlantic coastline may stay just above freezing Wednesday night and see periods of drizzle instead.

Change to rain, watch for icy spots Friday

Temperatures for most of the Maritimes will begin to rise before sunrise Thursday.

By 8-10 a.m., temperatures should be above freezing in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and the southern half of New Brunswick. Northern areas of New Brunswick are expected to rise above freezing by early Thursday afternoon. As the temperatures rise above zero the freezing rain turns to rain, drizzle, and fog.

A band of rain will cross Nova Scotia Thursday night. As cold air moves into the back edge of the rain it will turn into a brief period of snow. That brief snowfall will occur in the early morning hours of Friday for Nova Scotia. The turn to snow and temperatures falling below zero could contribute to some slippery road conditions Friday morning.

In general, the Maritimes can expect temperatures to fall below zero Thursday night and remain colder for Friday. Be cautious of any wet or slushy surfaces turning icy during that time.