Eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton are set to receive a significant amount of precipitation starting Wednesday and extending into Friday.
The areas primarily set to be impacted are Cape Breton, Eastern Shore, Antigonish and to a lesser extent the eastern half of HRM.
The cumulative precipitation may range from 40 to 80 millimetres until Wednesday night. As Thursday morning approaches, the overall rainfall from the weather system, active since Monday, is projected to reach 100-150 millimetres for many areas, with localized amounts exceeding 200 millimetres, particularly in Victoria County.
As colder air is ushered in by strong northerly winds Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the precipitation is likely to transition from rain to an icy mix of ice pellets and freezing rain.
Subsequently, the icy mix is anticipated to shift to snow from west to east, initiating along the Northumberland Shore overnight and reaching the Sydney area by midday Thursday.
Once the transition to snow occurs, blowing snow is expected to become a significant concern. Widespread wind gusts ranging from 70 to 90 km/h may lead to blizzard-like conditions from Thursday afternoon through Friday, especially in open and exposed areas. Travelers should exercise caution, preparing for possible whiteouts and hazardous travel conditions.
Currently, temperatures are not expected to drop low enough in and around HRM for snow to form on Thursday on Friday, though they will likely see rain throughout.
In areas where snowfall is predicted it’s expected to gradually diminish into flurries from west to east on Friday afternoon and evening. However, blowing snow will persist until the winds gradually subside on Friday night. As Friday evening approaches, eastern areas of the Northumberland Shore and Cape Breton should anticipate 10 to 20 centimetres of snow, with higher amounts of 20 to 30 centimetres possible in Inverness and Victoria.
