Spring mix of snow, rain ahead Thursday for the Maritimes

A man walks across a pedestrian bridge during a snow storm in Fredericton on Sunday, December 27, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese 

It didn’t take long into the season for the region to get into some spring snow.

Tuesday night will see some light snow and flurries fall in central and northern New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and eastern areas of Nova Scotia. Local snow totals of one to five centimetres can be expected from that.

That is followed by a mostly sunny Wednesday for the Maritimes. A bit more of a mix of sun and cloud is expected for eastern areas of Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton.

The next more significant weather maker is a low-pressure system that will exit the northeastern United States and move straight across the Maritimes Thursday into Friday. Snow is forecast to reach western New Brunswick and southwestern Nova Scotia before noon on Thursday. The snow will reach eastern New Brunswick, P.E.I., and eastern Nova Scotia by late afternoon and evening.

A turn from snow to rain is expected in southern New Brunswick and mainland Nova Scotia. Wet snow from the system may linger for P.E.I. and eastern areas of Nova Scotia into Friday morning.

Due to the mix of snow and rain, expected amounts will be highly varied across the region.

The most snow looks likely in northern New Brunswick, western P.E.I., and much of Cape Breton. For those areas, amounts of 10 to 20 cm looks possible with the snow being wet and compact, heavier to move as a result.

Central New Brunswick, central/eastern P.E.I., and eastern mainland Nova Scotia could pick up five to 10 cm of wet snow with possibly some rain mixed in.

Southern New Brunswick and western Nova Scotia could pick up amounts of a few to several slushy centimetres before a turn to five to 20 mm of rain.

A southeast wind will accompany the mix of snow and rain on Thursday, with peak gusts reaching 30 to 60 km/h. Stronger easterly gusts of 60 to 80 km/h is possible for Cape Breton by early Friday morning.

Due to the topography of the Highlands, gusts for northern Inverness County could exceed 100 km/h. The stronger winds in Cape Breton will diminish late on Friday.