Another Nor’easter could develop in the Maritimes this weekend

CTV Atlantic meteorologist Kalin Mitchell shares snow total reports for the Maritimes. Then looks ahead to what may be the third in a series of Nor’easters.

A long duration snowfall dropped a good 20-to-40 cm of snow across much of the Maritimes late Sunday night through Tuesday morning. Colder temperatures will persist through the week so the snow will be sticking around. A third in a series of Nor’easter type storms may develop this weekend.

Snow reports

The powdery nature and drifting of the snow can make for difficult measurements but we have what can be considered some totals from reports Tuesday morning in the Maritimes.

So far, the highest total reports have come in from northern and western areas of Nova Scotia with a widespread 30-to-40 cm of snow. Reports from in and around the Halifax area ranged 21-to-30 cm of snow. It isn’t uncommon to see that type of variance within a small geographic area due to drifting.

Snow was still falling and accumulating in parts of Cape Breton near noon on Tuesday. I don’t have a final report from the Sydney area yet, but an observer at Sydney Forks reported at least 24 cm as of early Tuesday morning.

Reports from the southern half of New Brunswick came in with a general 10-to-25 cm. Reports from Grand Manan have varied with estimates of 25-to-40 cm.

Prince County in Prince Edward Island seems to have picked up near 15 cm of snow. Higher reports ranging from 20-to-27 cm from Queens and Kings counties.

Next Nor’easter

There’s not much rest for the snow weary as we are looking at potentially a third Nor’easter-type system Sunday into Monday.

The system starts over the Gulf of Mexico Friday but strengthens quickly as it moves to a position off the coastline of Carolinas on Saturday. The strengthening is a result of landing on the boundary between much cold air over the continent and the warm, moist air over the Atlantic. That temperature difference is jet fuel for this type of weather system.

The storm is then projected to continue to strengthen as it moves north towards and past Cape Cod on Sunday. That timing would bring snow from the system into the Maritimes as early as late Sunday afternoon or Sunday evening. Another potential heavy snow event as it continues into Monday morning.

There has already been significant variance in the outlook for the storm over the past 24 hours. On Monday, the storm looked more likely to impact the Maritimes on Feb. 2. On Tuesday, the storm timing looks more like it will stretch from Feb. 1 to Feb. 2.

It is common to see this type of variance with a weather system like this in the extended forecast. I typically anticipate significant changes in timing and snow amounts all the way up to 72 hours before the storm. Monitor the forecast for the Sunday – Monday period and think about what preparations you may need to take if we do catch another heavy snowfall.