Forecasters predicting significant snow before changing to rain in Carleton County
Woodstock and Carleton County residents should prepare for up to 15 cm of snow, followed by rain on Wednesday, Jan 10, as a significant winter storm passes over the province.
Environment Canada meteorologist Jill Maepea expects the snow to begin near dawn on Wednesday morning in the Woodstock area.
While it’s too early to provide specific numbers surrounding the storm featuring mixed precipitation, she said residents can expect poor travelling conditions throughout the day. She said the current weather model suggests 10 to 15 cm of snow in Woodstock and Carleton County.
“Looks like snow will be more prominent,” Maepea said.
As substantial southeast winds increase during the day, she said, temperatures will climb as the snow changes to rain.
While it’s “always tricky” to predict precipitation amounts during changeovers, Maepea said Woodstock residents should expect snowfall levels at the higher end of the predictions.
Forecasts are “hinting at more snow,” she said.
Maepea said the fast-moving storm should pass through Carleton County by early evening.
While the storm could deliver wind speeds as high as 60 to 70 km/hr in the Bay of Fundy region, Maepea doesn’t expect the winds to be a significant issue in Carleton County, noting wind speeds will increase as the snow turns to rain.
She doesn’t expect the winds will be high enough to create blizzard conditions.
Maepea said the transition from snow to rain creates a brief risk of freezing rain.
“The strongest winds will be with the rain,” she said.
Maepea expects Environment Canada to issue winter storm warnings by early Tuesday morning.
Environment Canada encourages the public to monitor its alerts and forecasts. To report severe weather, email NBstorm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports using #NBStorm.
