Clocks move forward Sunday; nor'easter to watch for next week

A weekend with generally fair March weather is in store for the Maritimes ahead of a nor’easter that is likely to have some impact on the region.

A weekend with generally fair March weather is ahead for the Maritimes.

A low-pressure system exiting out of the state of New York and into the Atlantic will keep far enough south of the Maritimes to not influence our weather. That will leave us with a mix of sun and cloud Saturday along with a breezy northerly wind. A chance of flurries is expected from the southeast of New Brunswick across northern and eastern areas of Nova Scotia. High temperatures will mostly be in the low single digits and will flirt with the freezing mark for parts of eastern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. It’s a far cry from the dense, heavy snow that northern Newfoundland is picking up Friday into Saturday. There, snowfall warnings extend from Green Bay – White Bay through the Bonavista Peninsula and call for totals of 15 to 30 cm.

With low pressure well to the east, there won’t be any big weather concerns for Sunday either. There will be a mix of sun and cloud for Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, while sunnier conditions are possible in New Brunswick. A breezy northerly wind will persist but high temperatures will climb into low-to-mid single digits, which is near to slightly above average for this time of the year.

Don’t forget about the clocks though. They go forward an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday. It’s also a great time to check and change batteries in smoke and gas alarms. Between now and the end of March we will pick up about an hour of additional daylight here in the Maritimes.

Beware the ides of March. A nor’easter will develop on the eastern U.S. seaboard next week and is likely to have some impact on our region Tuesday into Wednesday. The storm comes together as a Colorado low and Texas low meet up just off the coastline of Virginia on Monday. The resulting nor’easter strengthens as it moves north towards Cape Cod on Tuesday with an eventual shift towards the southwest of Nova Scotia and then past the Atlantic coastline of that province Wednesday into Thursday.

Given the initial and slow movement of the storm to the south of the Maritimes, there is likely to be enough colder air in place for the region that some heavy snow will be a risk. Where and how much of that snow will likely have to wait until late Sunday or even Monday to forecast with a higher degree of certainty. Currently, guidance ranges the potential for heavier snow -- I’m defining that as amounts of 15 or more centimetres -- from northern New Brunswick to further south in that province, as well as across P.E.I. There is even some guidance that shifts that snow further east into Nova Scotia. It isn’t uncommon to have such a range present this far out, especially given that quite a bit of the forecast depends on how the initially separate low pressure systems will eventually come together.

My recommendation would be to not bank too much on snow and wind ranges for Tuesday and Wednesday until closer to the start of next week. It is a good idea though to keep tabs on the forecast for that period of time, particularly if your plans have you travelling during those days.