Eastern Canada faces uncertainty as it braces for potentially impactful storm
Eastern Canada is potentially lined up for another winter storm later this week as a low-pressure system is forecast to develop. However, who exactly will be impacted and by what type of precipitation is still uncertain.
Ultimately, the who and what of this scenario is dependent on how and where the low-pressure system forms.
The system will be fuelled by an area of atmospheric energy originating from Colorado and tracking into Eastern Canada. The straight jet stream that has been plaguing the West Coast the past couple of weeks is also forecast to finally change its pattern later this week, developing an upper trough as it shifts. Whether these two factors interact or not will decide the fates of shovels and snowblowers or umbrellas across Eastern Canada.
If the area of energy and upper trough interact with each other, the low will develop over Ontario, gaining strength as it sweeps into Quebec and across Atlantic Canada. This will bring heaps of heavy rain and snow across the eastern provinces.
SEE ALSO: Will a train of atmospheric rivers finally end California's drought?
If the area of energy and the upper trough do not interact with each other over Ontario, however, the low will move eastward and develop over the northeastern coastal sections of the United States before moving into Atlantic Canada and parts of Quebec as a powerful system.
How the energy and jet stream’s upper trough interact is still uncertain as these components are highly dynamic and can be hard to predict far in advance.
Regardless of how and where the system develops, forecasters are expecting a heavy swath of snow to develop on the northern edge of the first low pressure system and a surge of mild temperatures and heavy rain to southern regions.
As the week progresses and more information comes in, there will be more confidence into the track and impacts of this potential storm.
Keep checking back to The Weather Network for more updates and forecast information.
