Risk of minor coastal flooding in eastern parts of Maritimes Friday as the wind strengthens

A cyclist photographs waves crashing near Point Pleasant Park in Halifax on Monday, December 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

A low-pressure system stalled near Newfoundland is expected to move southward Friday, which will strengthen the wind in the Maritimes and bring a rough and pounding surf to some coastal areas in the region.

Wind and special weather statements

A northerly wind turns high and gusty in the Maritimes Friday morning into Friday afternoon. Peak gusts of 40 to 60 km/h are expected for much of the Maritimes. Gusts as high as 60 to 80 km/h on the northern coastline of Prince Edward Island, the north shore of mainland Nova Scotia, and for Inverness County – Cape Breton.

Those areas are under a special weather statement for the period of time between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Friday. The statement cautions that “storm surge and minor coastal flooding is possible along shorelines exposed to the north, especially around high tide.” High tide times are available through a number of sources including the Government of Canada website.

The wind is expected to diminish Friday night into Saturday morning. Water levels will also subside through that same period.

More flurries

Cloudy periods and scattered flurries are expected in the Maritimes Thursday night.

Flurries persist for parts of the region Friday. Areas most likely to see flurries on Friday include southeastern New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and northern/eastern areas of Nova Scotia. Snow amounts of trace or one-to-five centimetres locally.

Snow remains steadier in the western part of the Cape Breton Highlands. Northern Inverness County remains under a snowfall warning with additional snow amounts at the higher elevations of 15-to-25 centimetres. A weather station located at North Mountain in the Highlands has recorded 87 new centimetres of snow on the ground since Sunday.

Chilly but not cold

The stalled low near Newfoundland has wrapped air from the North Atlantic into the Maritimes. That air is damp and chilly but lacks the biting cold of air that arrives from the polar region. Day time high temperatures continue a few degrees above averages for early January and nighttime lows several degrees above average.

The current temperature regime lingers through early next week. There is some long-range forecast guidance that points to colder, continental air breaking back into the Maritimes late next week.