One Low Departs, Next One Moves In
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Our latest area of low pressure brought another round of rain, snow and wind to Newfoundland and Labrador between last night and today, and it’s still ongoing as of late this afternoon. As it pulls away, it’s going to leave us with a couple of parting gifts: another round of rain and another round of wind.
Wind warning tonight for Bonavista North and the Bonavista Peninsula
Environment Canada has issued a wind warning for the Bonavista Peninsula and Bonavista North, with maximum gusts of northwesterly 100 km/h tonight. Strong winds are expected, especially near the coast, on the backside of the departing storm, so be prepared to adapt your driving for changing conditions.
A lot of us are going to see gusty winds overnight, though. By midnight, areas from Port au Choix to St. John’s will see gusts of near or over 70 km/h, and by 5 or 6 tomorrow morning, winds are still gusting close to 90 on the Burin Peninsula. Once we get through that time frame, the winds really slack off.
Cooler air and one more round of rain tonight
Those northwesterly winds are ushering some cooler air across the Island from Labrador. It was already down to 3 degrees in Churchill Falls and Wabush this afternoon, while it was still 12 in St. John’s and 10 in Cape Race. Temperatures cool down overnight to near freezing across most of Newfoundland and below freezing in Labrador.
We’ll also see another round of rain move through tonight as the low departs. The rain moves back in by 9 or 10 o’clock this evening, then tapers off to showers after midnight. By early tomorrow morning, there may be a little leftover drizzle, but overall, skies will be clearing as we start Friday.
Friday: a decent start, then the next storm
Friday isn’t looking too bad, at least at the start of the day, with highs between 6 and 8 across Newfoundland this afternoon, and between about -1 and +6 in Labrador, coldest in the west. Unfortunately, it won’t last the whole day. The clouds roll in later, and another area of low pressure moves in tomorrow night, and this one is going to be quite potent.
This next low brings another warm-up to the Island on Saturday, with rain and wind and the potential for snow, along with rain and wind in Labrador in the same time frame, especially in the southeast. Behind it, Labrador turns much cooler on Saturday and Sunday, and a lot of areas will struggle to get above the freezing mark after this nor’easter, if you will, works its way through.
Timing
Things start tomorrow evening. By 6 p.m., light snow spreads into Lab West while the Island is still high and dry. By midnight, snow is spreading through western Labrador and rain showers are just beginning across Newfoundland.
Early Saturday morning, parts of the Baie Verte Peninsula and the Northern Peninsula may see a little snow before it changes to rain. In southeastern Labrador, however, that snow may not change to rain for a lot of areas. By midday Saturday, we could be seeing heavy snow in areas like Cartwright, potentially just south of Goose Bay on the Trans-Labrador Highway, and back into the Churchill Valley. As the low works its way through, the snow line crashes back down toward the southeast Saturday evening, before it all winds down by Sunday morning.
How much rain, snow and wind?
Rain: Most areas of Newfoundland see 5 to 15 mm, except along the South Coast, where rainfall amounts will be over 25 mm in areas like Burgeo and Port aux Basques. Parts of the West Coast may also see 15 to 25 mm, and so could parts of southeastern Labrador where it doesn’t snow.
Snow: It is going to snow in parts of southeastern Labrador, especially as you get away from the Straits. Right now, the forecast for Mary’s Harbour, Port Hope Simpson and Charlottetown is 15 to 20 cm, with lesser amounts north and south of there. Right along the coast, it might be a little less if it’s more of a sloppy snow, especially down toward the Straits. Goose Bay has about 5 cm in the forecast right now, and the same goes for North West River and Rigolet, with lesser amounts to the north and west. If the low tracks a little farther north or south, we’ll have to adjust that snowfall forecast, but that’s how it looks for now.
Environment Canada has also issued a special weather statement for Eagle River, Cartwright to Black Tickle, Norman Bay to Lodge Bay, and Red Bay to L’Anse-au-Clair, where the first notable snowfall of the season is expected Saturday, with near 10 cm inland and over higher terrain. The snow is expected to be wet and heavy, and roads could become slippery and difficult to navigate.
Wind: This system also brings a round of high winds, especially across Newfoundland, where a lot of areas will see gusts between 80 and 100 km/h between Friday night and Saturday afternoon. I suspect we’ll see more wind warnings from Environment and Climate Change Canada for the day on Saturday.
Looking ahead to next week
Once we get through Saturday, the weather doesn’t look all that bad for Sunday and into next week across Newfoundland, with varying amounts of sunshine, cool temperatures and no major systems in the forecast, at least for the time being.
In Labrador, it’s cooler in the west on Saturday and Sunday, warming back above freezing Monday and Tuesday, with the next chance of flurries coming back in on Thursday. On the South Coast, after the rain and snow Saturday, the rest of the week isn’t looking too bad, and the same goes for the North Coast, with highs near or above normal for this time of year.
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