Early blast of winter

Main Street East webcam, 17 Nov 2018 (City of Moncton)

Southeast New Brunswick received about 20 cm of snow from a Nor’easter giving the region its first taste of winter.

Rain or ice pellets did not mix in as forecast for Greater Moncton but the snow was wet and heavy.

Higher amounts of snow fell further north and lesser amounts along the Fundy coast, Prince Edward Island and northern Nova Scotia where more rain fell.

Snowfall totals (in cm):

• Kouchibouguac 28
• Bouctouche 22
• Greater Moncton 20
• Miramichi 14
• Fredericton 13
• Charlottetown 9
• Saint John 8

(Data courtesy Environment Canada)

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Powerful winds pummel Maritimes

Tree topples over following powerful winds, 04 Nov 2018 (NB Power)

An intense low pressure system moving up from the U.S. Eastern Seaboard brought heavy rain and strong winds to the Maritimes overnight.

The powerful hurricane-force gusts knocked out electricity to more than 100,000 customers in New Brunswick during the height of the storm.

Temperatures were very mild thanks to a southerly flow with highs exceeding 20°C in some areas including a new record of 21.7°C in Cheticamp.

Rainfall amounts (mm):

• Kejimkujik, NS  93
• Alma, NB  85
• Greater Moncton  69
• Fredericton  64
• Saint John  60
• Summerside, PEI  58
• Halifax Stanfield  45

Wind gusts (km/h):

• Bouctouche, NB  119
• North Cape, PEI  117
• Greater Moncton  110
• North Mountain, NS  108
• Grand Etang, NS  106
• Fredericton  102
• Saint John  100
• Halifax Stanfield  100

(Data courtesy Environment Canada)

Say it isn’t snow!

Snow settles on grass, vehicles and rooftops in NE Moncton, 25 Oct 2018 (Dearing)

Even by New Brunswick standards, snow in October is not very common.

But a low pressure system dropped more than 15 cm of heavy, wet snow over western and northern parts of the province creating commuter chaos in Fredericton yesterday.

After getting drenched with 38 mm of rain, Greater Moncton received a light coating of snow this morning which stuck to rooftops, vehicles and grassy areas but it melted by midday.

Here are some snowfall totals (in cm) from volunteer observations:

• Charlo/Belledune area. 23 cm
• Woodstock. 16 cm
• Fredericton. 15 cm
• Miramichi. 13 cm
• Grand Falls. 10 cm
• Moncton. 3.4 cm

Early season snow in N.B.

Radar image of New Brunswick, 17 hrs, 23 Oct 2018 (Intellicast)

Snow has come early for parts of northern and western New Brunswick as a low pressure system brings heavy rain elsewhere in the province.

Fredericton recorded a few centimetres of snow today while Greater Moncton is expecting mostly rain – possibly 15 to 25 mm – starting tonight.

Environment Canada says up to 15 cm of snow could fall by Wednesday night in the north and west with greater amounts over high terrain.

Michael partly to blame for rain

Fall foliage in Centennial Park, Moncton, 13 Oct 2018 ( Dearing)

Starting late Wednesday and lasting into Friday, a warm front and low pressure system eventually combined with moisture streaming northward from Tropical Storm Michael.

As these two systems began to interact, a significant amount of rain fell over parts of the Maritimes.

Rainfall summary in millimetres as of Saturday 5am ADT:

• Doaktown: 47.2
• Greater Moncton Airport: 39.4
• Fredericton: 36.2
• Saint John: 35.6
• Grand Manan: 34.5
• Halifax Stanfield Airport: 55.4
• Yarmouth: 70.4

• Kejimkujik: 47.7

(Data courtesy Environment Canada)

A chilly start!

It may have been the warmest summer in the Maritimes in almost a century but some parts of the region woke up to below freezing temperatures and frost this morning!

That means some areas had a growing season which barely lasted 100 days since the last spring frost for many was 04 June.

Greater Moncton was definitely chilly with an early morning low of 3.0°C which was close to the record low of 1.1°C from 1956.

Here are some of the nippy overnight lows:

• Edmundston, NB  -2.0°C
• Woodstock, NB  -0.8°C
• Red Pines, NB  -0.7°C
• Fredericton, NB  0.1°C
• Upper Stewiacke, NS  -0.4°C
• Maple Plains, PEI  1.4°C

NB flood by numbers

Flooding forces closure of Randolph Bridge on west side of Saint John, 05 May 2018 (Twitter/City of Saint John)

Some residents are still recovering from the historic spring flooding along the southern St. John River and its tributaries.

Flood levels were elevated between 27 April and 18 May affecting Fredericton, Saint John and areas in between.

By the numbers (provided by Government of New Brunswick):

• 12,000 – properties affected by flooding to some degree
• 2,627 – residents who registered for disaster financial assistance
• 1,871 – residents who asked for health and safety inspection of properties
• 1,110 – households registered with the Canadian Red Cross
• 4,000 – tonnes of debris from flood dumped at landfills

St. John River flooding reaches historic levels

Flooding forces closure of Randolph Bridge on west side of Saint John, 05 May 2018 (Twitter/City of Saint John)

After steadily rising for more than a week, water levels along the southern portion of the St. John River have surpassed the historic flood in 1973.

Environment Canada is forecasting more rain for Southern New Brunswick with up to 20 mm possible by Monday after 30 mm fell Friday and early Saturday.

The Coast Guard and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have provided vessels to help with evacuations and Transport Canada has deployed surveillance aircraft.

Almost 1,000 people have registered as evacuees with the Red Cross.

Many roads have been closed by the flooding including the Trans Canada Highway between River Glade and Oromocto – the detour through Saint John adds one hour of travel time between Moncton and Fredericton.

Flooding closes TCH

Floodwaters from St. John River lapping at the Trans Canada Highway near Jemseg, NB, 03 May 2018 (Hay/Facebook)

Floodwaters covering the road near Jemseg have forced the closure of the Trans Canada Highway between Moncton and Fredericton.

The Emergency Management Organization says the road could be closed for several days until water levels recede.

A long detour forces travellers to go through Saint John via Routes 1 and 7.

EMO says the water continues to rise along the southern St. John River and may exceed levels last seen during the historic 1973 flood.

They’re back!

Dandelions growing in NE Moncton, 02 May 2018 (Dearing)

Dandelions have made their return to Southeast New Brunswick a little later than usual thanks to a cold spring.

The yellow plants or weeds were spotted today when the temperature climbed to 24.5 C in Greater Moncton – the warmest high so far this year.

The hotspot in New Brunswick was St. Stephen at 29 C and Fredericton was not far behind at 28 C.

But a cold front is pushing through the province which will bring rain and dramatically lower temperatures overnight with single digit highs expected tomorrow.