Colorado Low will skirt Maritimes, lighter snow and rain expected this weekend
CTV
A Colorado Low will sweep a couple of weather fronts through the Maritimes this weekend, resulting in some relatively mild February temperatures and a passing mix of snow and rain.
A Colorado Low, so named because it originates on the eastern side of the Rockies near that state, is bringing 10 to 15 cm of snow to parts of southern Manitoba today.
The centre of the system then moves through Northern Ontario and into Northern Quebec. While not coming directly across the Maritimes, it will sweep a couple of weather fronts through this weekend. The result will be some relatively mild February temperatures and a passing mix of snow and rain.
A few flurries or showers, along with increasing cloudiness, is expected in the Maritimes Saturday. The coverage of any flurries or showers will be quite spotty around the region. High temperatures on Saturday will range from 4 to 7 degrees in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, most communities of Prince Edward Island will see a high near 3. For reference, the average high temperature for this time of February is mostly -1 to -4.
On Sunday, a lighter mix of snow and rain comes across the Maritimes. No significant snow accumulation is expected, with indications that it may only be the higher terrain of northern New Brunswick that could pick up some snow amounts near 5 cm. There will be a total of 2 to 10 mm of rain and showers.
While the milder temperatures will encourage melting of the tremendous amount of snow down in parts of the Maritimes after the weekend storm, the further compaction of the snow could continue to make it more difficult to clear. Even a few millimetres of rain will add additional weight to that snow and, if possible, snow should be continued to be cleared from areas vulnerable to that weight, including roofs and decks. Extreme caution should be taken in clearing of roofs as not only can it be dangerous but there is also a risk of damaging roofing material if not done correctly.
