Environment Canada projects up to 25 cm of snow for the St. John River Valley on Thursday and again on Monday
Upper St. John River Valley residents can look forward to spending their weekend digging out from a significant winter storm on Thursday, just in time for another on late Sunday or early Monday.
Environment Canada meteorologist Jill Maepea said Woodstock and Carleton County, as it is often, will be the changing point of the winter storm, which will cover the province on Thursday, Feb. 13.
Starting Thursday morning, she forecasted 15 to 20 cm of snow, potentially reaching as high as 25 cm.
Maepea said the storm may include “a little bit of ice pellets” along with the snow, adding areas north of Woodstock face snow only, while New Brunswickers south of the area will see less snow but significant amounts of ice pellets and freezing rain.
She said things could get “messy” in parts of southern New Brunswick.
She forecasted 10 to 15 cm of snow for the Fredericton area and up to 25 cm for northern New Brunswick from Edmundston to the North Shore.
With cooler temperatures accompanying the storm, Maepea said residents should expect light, puffy snow, which could create risks of whiteout conditions, especially with heavy winds forecast for Friday.
While Friday and Saturday will feature sunny conditions, winds may gust as high as 75 km/hr, especially along the Acadian Peninsula.
Maepea said current forecasts indicate a similar storm will hit the Woodstock and Carleton County area, starting late Sunday, Feb 16, or early Monday, Feb. 17.
Maepea said the back-to-back storms with significant snowfall are a rarity for New Brunswick so far this winter.
She said January proved “extremely dry,” with little significant precipitation except for one mid-month winter storm.
