Winter Storm Grayson is expected to reach the Bay of Fundy late in the day on Thursday. Snow will spread north ahead of the storm, reaching into southern and eastern Quebec, New Brunswick, PEI and much of Newfoundland by mid-day, dropping a mix of rain, snow, ice, and high winds.
CTV News is reporting that Environment Canada meteorologist Ian Hubbard said, "This is definitely a very serious and very intense winter system." Hubbard says to expect just about any kind of weather. Warnings for everything from heavy rains to blizzards and storm surges have been issued.
"It's the whole spectrum of weather with this system -- you pick a weather and it's forecast somewhere in Atlantic Canada, it seems," he said.
In Nova Scotia, over 16,000 people in the province are without power, according to numbers posted by Nova Scotia Power. "We're starting to see the leading edge of the precipitation move into the province now," Hubbard says, noting, "Conditions will diminish as the day goes on."
As the low moves on through the Gulf of St. Lawrence into Labrador, moderate to heavy snowfall is expected with New Brunswick, Gaspe, and Eastern Quebec being hit the hardest. Snowfall amounts could exceed 30 centimeters (12 inches) and reach 50 centimeters (20 inches).
The
strong winds with this storm system are expected to bring gusts of from 50 to 130 kph (50 to 80 mph) to many areas with the highest gusts predicted to be felt in Cape Breton and western Newfoundland. Additionally, the storm surge with this system will affect south-facing coastlines from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
As of Thursday morning at 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time
The Weather Channel
Many cancellations already issued
School boards in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. didn't wait for the storm to arrive, with most schools and some universities closing today, as well as some businesses. Halifax Stanfield International Airport has over 40 flight cancellations and the list will be growing as the storm sets in.
According to the
Globe and Mail, Isabelle Arthur, a spokeswoman for Air Canada, said the airline has instituted a flexible rebooking policy for customers so they can change their travel plans over the next several days.
"We also continue to evaluate our schedule in advance of the storm, mindful of its impact on airports in eastern Canada… and their ability to operate," she said. "Like other carriers, we have canceled some flights to areas facing the greatest impact from the storm and we have been notifying and rebooking customers."
Hubbard says that by Friday morning, the worst should be over, however, he warns, "The fact that we haven't had many systems yet this winter means there hasn't been a lot to build up our tolerance yet. This is a very serious low-pressure system. It's going to be very intense."
