Snow-rain to clear the Maritimes, temperatures will turn colder

Clouds clear and temperatures turn chilly tonight. An active aurora is forecast and may be glimpsed faint and low on the northern horizon.

Snow, rain, and clouds will clear Thursday evening as a low-pressure system moves east of the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia. Thursday night will be colder and a chilly Friday is expected.

Rain… and snow reports

Preliminary rain reports show a total of 10-to-30 mm in Nova Scotia. Many of those reports come from the morning when rain was still falling, so they are likely low for some areas. An additional 5-to-15 mm of rain is in the forecast for eastern parts of that province.

Initial reports from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island mostly range from a few to several millimeters. Those provinces can expect some isolated showers or flurries on Thursday afternoon, ending in the evening.

The back edge of the rain did turn to some wet snow. This is possible even with surface air temperatures remaining above freezing because of the much colder air located aloft where the clouds and precipitation are.

Any snow accumulation will be very limited. I did receive a few pictures though of some collected on vegetative and metal surfaces from Aspen, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia.

Clearing and getting colder

A general clearing trend is forecast for the Maritimes Thursday night.

Wind will remain gusty from the north and northwest with peak wind gusts of 30-to-60 km/h. The northerly wind will bring colder air from northern Quebec into the Maritimes. Low temperatures Thursday night fall into a range of -4 to 0 for much of the region. Coastal areas may remain a degree or two above freezing.

It’s a low risk, but given the wet weather and below freezing temperatures forecast, watch for possible icy spots late Thursday night and early Friday morning.

A mix of sun and cloud is expected Friday, but it will be a brisk and blustery November day. High temperatures in the range of 3-to-8 degrees will be accompanied by a westerly wind with gusts 30-to-50 km/h.

Night sky

The clearing trend Thursday night may give some decent night sky viewing conditions in the Maritimes, especially near and after midnight. Areas likely to see the most clearing include New Brunswick and mainland Nova Scotia. Partly cloudy conditions may remain for P.E.I. and Cape Breton into the overnight.

You can spot the now waning Moon rising above the eastern horizon. If you are up late, the planet Jupiter should be visible just above the eastern horizon after 11 p.m.

The Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is observing and forecasting a G3, or strong, geomagnetic storm. The storm is expected to produce a more active aurora Thursday night. Viewing conditions aren’t expected to be particularly great for the Maritimes, but a faint (curtain) aurora may be present above the northern horizon. A better display of the aurora is expected in northern and central (Prairies) parts of the country.