It has been a dark and stormy St. Patrick’s Day for parts of the Maritimes this year. Here is what to expect over the next 24 hours. The storm has produced peak winds gusts in the range of 80-to-100 km/h for Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick at Environment Canada operated weather stations. Some personal weather stations in Nova Scotia have clocked some stronger gusts between 100 and 120 km/h. The strong winds contributing to power outages in those provinces. By early Tuesday evening, the strong southerly winds will be clearing eastern Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton. The wind then becomes westerly Tuesday night with gusts diminishing into a range of 30-to-50 km/h. The westerly winds will bring colder air in off the continent and temperatures will fall below freezing for Friday. Be careful of wet surfaces turning icy. Additional rain Initial rain reports have had some communities in southern New Brunswick receiving more than 40 mm of rain. Some initial reports from communities on the South Shore of Nova Scotia have come in with totals ranging 30-to-60+ mm. There have been some reports of localized flooding. The band of steadiest rain clears east with the stronger winds moving into and through Tuesday evening. Additional rain amounts of 10-to-20 mm could still fall across eastern areas of Nova Scotia. Colder Wednesday After the storm pushed temperatures up into the low-to-mid teens on Tuesday, colder air moves back in Tuesday night. Temperatures will fall a few to several degrees below freezing for most of the Maritimes by Wednesday morning. It will be even colder in northern areas of New Brunswick. Daytime temperatures will remain below zero for the Maritimes Wednesday. Temperatures remain chilly and below mid-March averages through the end of the week.
