Prepare for days of high-impact snow, wind across Atlantic Canada

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Atlantic Canada is on alert for a major winter storm this weekend, contradicting the opinion of several furry prognosticators who looked for their shadows on Friday.

Significant snowfall totals are expected for a swath of the Maritimes and Newfoundland, where some communities could easily see 50+ cm of snow with even higher drifting in spots.

This long-duration storm will last the better part of the weekend and even stretch into Monday, affecting travel plans and work commutes for several days.

Gusty winds throughout the storm will severely reduce visibility during bouts of heavy snow, with blizzard-like conditions in some areas.

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Significant, persistent snow picks up this weekend

After several days of disruptive snows across the East Coast, we’re looking at a grand finale this weekend that could lead to memorable accumulations in spots. This will be a "storm chips" storm for many locations.

A low-pressure system developing south of Nova Scotia won’t be in any hurry to scoot out of the region.

We’ll see the system meander north toward Newfoundland through the weekend and into Monday, forcing much of Atlantic Canada to endure a long-duration, wind-driven snowfall event.

Given the slow-moving and sprawling nature of this system, there are still uncertainties with precise snowfall totals across the region. However, confidence is greatest that Cape Breton and parts of Newfoundland will see the most substantial snowfall totals by the time snow finally stops early next week.

Maritimes on track to see substantial snowfall

Most of the Maritimes will see disruptive snowfall totals from this event, with only interior sections of New Brunswick escaping the brunt of this developing storm.

Snow will grow in intensity and coverage through Friday evening and continue into Saturday afternoon before becoming lighter.

This period of light snow won’t last long, though, as heavy snow will pick up again through Sunday before relenting to scattered snow showers through Monday.

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Metro Halifax could pick up 20-40 cm of snow from this system. The heaviest snowfall totals will target eastern Nova Scotia, where a swath of 50+ cm of snow is possible from Amherst to Sherbrooke.

Cape Breton looks to be the ‘sweet spot’ for this storm, with snowfall totals of 50-80+ cm possible in and around Sydney by Tuesday.

Significant snows will also blanket Prince Edward Island, including Charlottetown, where widespread totals of 20-40 cm are expected through Tuesday.

We’ll see a relatively sharp cutoff in snowfall totals on the western side of the system. Moncton could pick up 20-30 cm of snow, while folks in Fredericton may only see 5-10 cm of accumulation by the end of the storm.

Gusty winds of 50-70 km/h are possible across the region during the height of the storm on Sunday. Heavy snowfall rates combined with gusty winds will severely reduce visibility during the storm, leading to near-blizzard conditions at times. Travel will be difficult if not impossible during these whiteouts.

Blustery conditions will also make drifting an issue. The snow will start off wet before becoming drier and more powdery as temperatures drop through the weekend.

Newfoundland expecting steep totals by Tuesday

Higher uncertainty exists across the water in Newfoundland where models are less consistent in how much snow will fly over the island through early next week.

Snow will push into southern and central Newfoundland through the day Saturday, with periods of heavy snow developing at times.

Light snow will linger into Sunday, with the system’s heaviest snows beginning Sunday night and lasting into Monday. Lighter flurries will linger into Tuesday.

Widespread snowfall totals of 20-40 cm are expected across southern and central Newfoundland, including Burgeo, Corner Brook, and Gander, with locally higher totals possible in some higher elevations.

The greatest uncertainty exists across the Avalon Peninsula, where snow will transition to mixing and even some rain during this system.

Mixing will help curb their snowfall totals a bit, though forecasters still expect 20-30 cm of snow on the northern Avalon—including St. John’s—but with a sharp cutoff toward the southern end of the peninsula.

Gusty winds of 60-80 km/h will accompany the snowfall across Newfoundland, leading to a risk for near-blizzard conditions during periods of moderate to heavy snowfall. Much like we’ll see in the Maritimes, travel will be difficult if not impossible during these whiteouts.

Stay with The Weather Network and continue checking back through the weekend as forecasters break down the details on this long-duration snowstorm across Atlantic Canada.

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