Freezing rain on the way for Maritimes as Newfoundland and Labrador digs out

Kirby Jenkins' snowbanks towered above his head on Dec. 27, 2025, after a dump of snow in the Gander Bay, N.L., area as shown in this handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-Kirby Jenkins

Freezing rain warnings are piling up throughout the Maritimes and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, but meteorologists say climbing temperatures likely mean a big dose of rain is on tap for the region.

Environment Canada meteorologist Ian Hubbard says Atlantic Canada is in the path of the same system that brought freezing rain to the Great Lakes region and parts of Quebec, but the impacts won’t be as severe.

“We’re kind of on the far-eastern side of this,” Hubbard said in an interview Monday.

“It’s going to allow us to get into some of that warmer air so the freezing rain will change to rain. And we’re actually going to see some mild temperatures during the overnight period with this before it pushes through.”

That’s good news for Newfoundland and Labrador, parts of which have been hit with as much as 100 centimetres of snow since Christmas Day. There were still more than 2,500 customers without power by early afternoon, mostly along the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula.

Hubbard said a weak low-pressure system over Maine and New Brunswick will push the bigger system further north. Snowfall warnings are in place in northern New Brunswick and parts of Labrador.

After the systems move out, Hubbard said the weather should return to normal, colder temperatures Tuesday with a slight chance of flurries across the Maritimes possible as late as Wednesday.

Flights cancellations and delays were beginning to stack up by early afternoon on Monday at airports across the region. The Digby, N.S., to Saint John, N.B., ferry cancelled its afternoon crossing, but Marine Atlantic ferries between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland were still on schedule.

Officials with the Confederation Bridge to P.E.I. warned travellers high winds may lead to traffic restrictions Monday night and into the early hours of Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2025.