Welcome to spring. More snow to start week in Nova Scotia

While we officially welcomed spring last week, an incoming system will be a reminder that snow is still very much part of the new season, especially early on.

This slow-moving system will bring snowfall to the province beginning Sunday afternoon in the west and not departing until Monday night or even Tuesday morning for northern areas.

Travel impacts and disruptions are likely throughout Monday, including both the morning and evening commutes. 

We’ll see a widespread 10-20 centimetres across most of the province, with areas in the northwest closer to 10 centimetres. The heavier amounts will likely be near the Atlantic coastline and across the northeast where onshore flurries will linger into Tuesday.  

The snow will be wetter and heavier, which won’t make shovelling much fun. Areas near the Atlantic coastline may also see some ice pellets and rain mixing in on Monday, with the greatest chance in the southwest and along the Eastern Shore. 

Northeasterly winds will gust 50 to 70 km/h for most areas, leading to some blowing and drifting, especially in open and exposed areas.

Antigonish, Guysborough and Cape Breton are looking set to see stronger gusts in the 70 to 80 km/h range Monday night and into Tuesday as the system pulls away.

This long-duration event begins Sunday afternoon in the west and continues through Monday and even into Tuesday in the northeast. 

Steady snow will track into western areas of the province during the afternoon and will spread eastward throughout the evening and overnight.

Most of the province is looking at a snowy commute to kick off the work week, however Cape Breton won’t see the snow arrive until Monday morning.

Northeast winds will strengthen through Monday morning and into the afternoon, with gusts 50-60 km/h and up to 70 km/h along parts of the coast.

Forecast models have really struggled with this system regarding Monday afternoon and evening, as the centre of the system tracks to our south.

After some shifting back and forth over the past few days, it now appears the system will be close enough for much of the province to see additional moderate snowfall throughout the afternoon.

During the late afternoon and evening commute, this steady snow is most likely along the Atlantic coastline and up into the Northumberland Shore region and Cape Breton.