A front crossing the region will bring a cold northwest wind to the Maritimes tonight. A partial solar eclipse will occur as the sun rises Saturday. Icy weather stretching across the country turns rainy for most of the Maritimes Sunday night into Monday. Cold front A mix of flurries and rain showers continue west-to-east across the Maritimes Friday afternoon and evening. The last of the weather pattern will clear Cape Breton near midnight. Little if any snow is expected to accumulate. A northwest wind will enter the region behind the passing front with gusts reaching 30 to 60 km/h. The wind will draw colder air out of northern Quebec into the Maritimes Friday night. Temperatures will fall below freezing with temperatures in parts of northern New Brunswick dropping as low as -10 to -14. Snow is expected to skirt the Tri-counties (Digby, Yarmouth, Shelburne) of Nova Scotia on Saturday. Two-to-8 centimetres of snow is possible. Partial solar eclipse A partial solar eclipse – sometimes known as a “devil’s horns” eclipse – will accompany the sunrise Saturday morning. Sunrise for most of the Maritimes is between 6:45 a.m. and 7:20 a.m. Sunrise is defined by the top of the sun breaking the horizon so decent viewing conditions for the partial eclipse will be a good 10 to 20 minutes after. The Moon will cover about 80 per cent of the sun at maximum meaning you are unlikely to notice the effect unless you are viewing through appropriate and safe visual filters. Viewing a solar eclipse without approved, protective eyewear can cause permanent damage. Acceptable eyewear needs to be stamped with the ISO 12312-2 designation. There are alternative safe methods of viewing such as a pinhole projection. The sun’s partially obscured shape resembles horns during a devil’s horns eclipse, which is not a formally recognized astronomical term. This visual effect occurs when the moon passing in front of the sun creates a crescent shape from the remaining light. It might appear to have two pointed ends extending outward, creating the illusion of horns depending on the moon’s position and the observer’s location. Viewing conditions will be best in northern and central areas of New Brunswick. Decent viewing conditions should be present in Prince Edward Island and most of Nova Scotia but some patchy clouds are expected. The view is expected to be obstructed in the southwestern-most parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia where more cloud cover is forecast. Icy weather turning rainy A low-pressure system and weather front extending from the Midwestern U.S. through the Great Lakes region is bringing extended wintry weather to parts of the country. The system is expected to evolve over the weekend and bring a mix of snow, ice pellets, freezing rain and rain developing late Sunday night. On Monday the rain is expected to turn to drizzle and fog for most of the Maritimes. There is risk of an extended period of icy weather in northern New Brunswick. A final round of rain, heavy at times, is expected to cross the region Monday night. That rain clears east of Nova Scotia Tuesday morning. Rain totals for parts of the Maritimes could range 20 to 60 millimetres. A strong southerly wind is expected to develop for Nova Scotia on Monday. Peak gusts for parts of the province could reach 60 to 80 km/h for some areas.
