Powerful winds to roar over Atlantic Canada as storm strengthens

A snowy and icy mess that blanketed the Maritimes on Sunday will move across Newfoundland, bringing an impactful wintry mix to the island through Monday.

Expect powerful winds to build over the entire region as the storm rapidly deepens over the Gulf. Gusts could peak well over 100 km/h in some vulnerable areas.

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Wintry mess threatens Newfoundland through Monday

Precipitation will begin to wind down across the Maritimes as the bulk of the wintry storm moves into Newfoundland.

However, heavy snow will develop for extreme eastern New Brunswick, as well as Cape Breton, through Monday morning as the system strengthens over the Gulf.

Periods of snow that arrived in Newfoundland on Sunday evening will give way to ice pellets and freezing rain as warmer air aloft pushes into the region. Significant freezing rain is possible across central Newfoundland before transitioning back to snow Monday afternoon.

The Avalon, Bonavista, and Burin Peninsulas will all transition to rain by Monday morning, with stubborn freezing rain lingering in Gander.

Western Newfoundland can expect 10-30+ cm of snow from this system, with less than 5 cm of total accumulation in the forecast for the Avalon.

Very strong winds with gusts up to 120+ km/h

Our storm system is expected to rapidly deepen below 960 mb by Monday afternoon as it crosses northern Newfoundland, resulting in powerful wind gusts throughout all of Atlantic Canada.

Gusts of 60-80 km/h will be common across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Cape Breton could see gusts of 80-120 km/h.

Folks across Newfoundland may see gusts of 90-130 km/h, which could cause damage to trees and power lines. The strongest winds will occur in exposed coastal communities on the island’s southern shores.

Header image created using graphics and imagery from Canva.

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