Bitterly cold Tuesday morning as lunar eclipse occurs

CTV Meteorologist Kalin Mitchell with how much snow to expect out of a fast moving weather system.

We’ve started off March with a snap of bitterly cold air. While there are a few more colder days this week, temperatures will turn milder in the extended forecast. A mix of snow and rain is expected for the Maritimes Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Another frigid night

Bundle up for another night of temperatures well below average for early March.

Much of the Maritimes can expect low temperatures Monday night into Tuesday morning to fall into a range of -14 C to -17 C. Some low-lying areas away from the coast will be as cold as -17 C to -20 C. The coastlines will only be slightly more moderate with lows of -8 C to -14 C.

A total lunar eclipse will occur Tuesday morning. The only issue for the Maritimes is that the moon is in the process of setting on the western horizon as the eclipse is occurring. To catch what little we can of the eclipse, look low on the western horizon for the moon from 5:50 a.m. onward until it sets. The partial eclipse begins at around 5:50 a.m. and takes the appearance of a brown/red hue to the Moon. Moonset is expected near 6:49 a.m. Cloud conditions generally look favourable for viewing.

While it will be another very cold start to the day, afternoon high temperatures on Tuesday for much of the Maritimes are expected to recover into the low-single digits.

Snow and rain

A fast-developing low-pressure system exiting the northeastern United States will bring a mix of snow and rain to parts of the Maritimes late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

The first of the snow will arrive in southwestern Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick at 9 p.m. to midnight Tuesday. The snow then develops southwest to northeast in the Maritimes overnight. A change from snow to rain is expected for much of Nova Scotia Wednesday morning. The snow-rain mix will clear western areas of the Maritimes by mid-morning Wednesday. Clearing eastern areas of the Maritimes by near noon on Wednesday.

Snowy and slippery roads may be present for parts of the Maritimes for the Wednesday morning commute. As much as 10-to-15 cm of snow looks possible for interior areas of Nova Scotia. Five-to-10 cm of snow along the Bay of Fundy coastline in New Brunswick and parts of the east of Prince Edward Island. Lighter snow or flurries for central and northern areas of New Brunswick.

Brief cold returns

Colder than average temperatures for early March follow for Thursday and Friday. Daytime highs in the Maritimes will be a few to several degrees below zero on both days.

Temperatures then moderate on the weekend and are trending towards being well above early March averages for at least the start of next week. The clocks will be set forward one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

These temperature swings are not unusual for the month of March as we approach the transition season of spring. The Spring (Vernal) Equinox is on March 20 at 11:46 a.m.