Windswept, heavy snow to lash Maine and Atlantic Canada at midweek

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

January 12,2016; 12:43PM,EST

 

 

An Alberta Clipper storm will rapidly strengthen off the New England coast, unleashing heavy snow and high winds across parts of Maine and Atlantic Canada in the process.
The snow will be heavy enough to plow and cause dangerous travel conditions spanning Tuesday night into Wednesday night.
The combination of snow and high winds will even set the stage for blizzard conditions across parts of New Brunswick, Quebec and Anticosti Island on Wednesday.

The same storm system, albeit weaker at the time, brought widespread snow showers and locally heavier snow squalls to much of the Midwest and Northeast early this week.
After exiting the Northeast, the storm is forecast to develop quickly off the coast of Maine Tuesday night, unloading heavy snow across the northern tier of the Maine into Wednesday.
Treacherous travel will quickly ensue.
Snowfall rates up to or exceeding an inch per hour are possible, with winds gusting upwards of 50 mph, especially along the coast.
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The intensity of the snow combined with gusty winds will cause roads to become snow-covered quickly and will dangerously lower the visibility to less than a mile.
Travelers should be on guard for rapidly deteriorating conditions on the roadways.
Three to 6 inches of snow will fall across much of Maine by the time snow tapers off on Wednesday afternoon, with up to a foot of snow across the northern tier.
The swath of heaviest snow will then spread into portions of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Anicosti Island and Newfoundland.

According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson, central and eastern New Brunswick are the most likely areas where blizzard conditions will set up on Wednesday.
High winds will cause whiteout conditions as well as blowing and drifting of snow.
The heaviest snow will exit the area and shift into Labrador by Thursday morning.
When all is said and done, most of Atlantic Canada will be buried under 6-12 inches of snow, with over a foot of snow likely in central and eastern New Brunswick.
Much quieter weather will settle across the affected areas to end the week, but AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the potential for more accumulating snow this weekend.