Spring snow brings possible slippery start to parts of the Maritimes Thursday

Spring snow is on its way for parts of the Maritimes Thursday.

With the equinox having occurred at 12:06 AM, Wednesday, we are now into the start of astronomical spring. Spring snow isn’t uncommon for the Maritimes, as we have some in the forecast.

A low-pressure system moving out of the northeastern U.S. Wednesday will cross New Brunswick on Thursday. The weather system is bringing the Maritimes a mix snow, flurries, and showers through that time.

Showers and flurries first arrive in western New Brunswick and southwestern Nova Scotia Wednesday afternoon. The mix becomes more widespread for the region Wednesday evening and night.

The mixture of flurries and showers may intensify into accumulating snow for central and northern areas of New Brunswick early Thursday morning. With temperatures near freezing, some accumulation of one to five centimetres may occur for Fredericton and north in the province to get Thursday started. While not a tremendous amount, it may be enough to create some slippery spots for the Thursday morning drive.

Further snow and flurries throughout the day on Thursday may total additional snow in the hilly and mountainous areas of northern New Brunswick. Some snow totals for that higher terrain could reach five-to-15 cm by the end of the day. Gusty winds will accompany the falling snow and could blow it around enough to reduce visibility for brief periods of time.