Snowstorm to hit eastern Quebec and many parts of the Maritimes on Saturday

MONTREAL -

A major winter storm will hit eastern Quebec and many parts of the three Maritime provinces from Saturday morning until Sunday.

The Gaspé Peninsula and Lower North Shore regions of Quebec, as well as northern New Brunswick, including the Acadian Peninsula, were the subject of a special weather statement Friday morning that announced significant snowfall, but in quantities that are still unknown.

Quebec weather watches and warnings for Jan. 28, 2022.

In the Magdalen Islands, 15 to 40 centimetres of snow is expected. The same was true for central and southern New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and western and central Nova Scotia. Wind gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour were also expected in these areas, with the strongest winds along coastal areas.

Freezing rain is possible in Prince Edward Island.

Futurecast for Quebec, Jan. 28, 2022.

Environment Canada reports that in Nova Scotia, the size of the storm will likely cause a storm surge and strong surf pounding the Atlantic coast of the Nova Scotia Peninsula and Cape Breton Saturday afternoon and again early Sunday.

Along the northern shore of Nova Scotia and the west coast of Cape Breton Island, higher than normal water levels are expected near high tide Saturday afternoon, and ice pressure is likely from Pictou County to Tidnish. This could cause ice to overtake along the coast.

In Sydney, Cape Breton, the total amount of rain could reach 50 millimetres.

Quebec futurecast for Jan. 28, 2022.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 28, 2022.