From record warmth to cold and snow, Maritimes are set for wild weather swings ahead

Buckle up. The next few days will be a wild ride when it comes to the weather here in the Maritimes.

With the winds shifting to southwest, Saturday is shaping up to be one of the warmest on record in the Maritimes for Oct. 28. Afternoon highs will range between 18 C and 22 C under a mix of sun and cloud.

Some new daily high records are possible across Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick.

A cold front tracking through the region will spark some showers in northern New Brunswick on Saturday afternoon, then Saturday evening and overnight across the rest of the region.

Behind that cold front, the winds will shift to the northwest and the temperatures will plummet.

As a result, highs on Sunday afternoon will be far lower than Saturday’s. While it will be much cooler, Sunday will remain dry.

With cold air in place, a system moving into the region on Monday will bring a messy mix of rain and slushy snow.

The best chances for accumulating snow will be central and northern areas of New Brunswick. However snow is also looking possible for higher terrain areas of southern New Brunswick and northern Nova Scotia, including the Cobequid Mountains, Mount Thom and the Cape Breton Highlands.

Drivers travelling in these areas on Monday should prepare to encounter snow and stay tuned for updates over the next few days.

The good news is the system is likely to clear through Monday night and Tuesday morning with improving conditions throughout Halloween day. 

We are still a ways out, but it appears most of the region will see dry conditions by Tuesday evening, with the exception of northeast Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and P.E.I. where lingering a chance of showers may remain, depending on the timing of the system.

Either way, trick-or-treaters are going to have to bundle up with multiple layers on Tuesday evening. Temperatures across the Maritimes are likely to be in the low to mid single digits.

On a final note, with the cold air in place and another system set to move through the region, we may see more flakes flying across the Maritimes mid-next week.

With the calendar flipping to November and some snow in the forecast, now is probably a good time to start thinking about booking that winter tire appointment.