No getting away from gross 24th of May weather
The May long weekend is here and once again, weather is going to be the topic of conversation.
There's snow on the menu for many across the province this weekend, especially in central, west and northwest Newfoundland — as well as southeast Labrador. Elsewhere, it's rain, drizzle and chilly temperatures.
As we all know, snow and unsettled weather on the 24th of May is nothing new. Everyone seems to have a war story about camping and waking up to find snow on the tent. Even the Buddywasisname song mentions about "a half inch of sloppy snow on the ground."
As I mentioned in this video from a couple of years ago, over the last three decades, we've had measurable snow fall on 10 May 24th weekends.
We've also had plenty of rainy and chilly weekends — but also some real beauties as well.
This Weekend
As for this weekend, there's no doubt, we've seen better. Here's a brief overview for each region.
The pick of the weekend for the Avalon and Trinity Bay will be Saturday. Just a chance of showers and temperatures in the mid-high single digits. Sunday looks cool, breezy and damp with showers and flurries. We'll see another breezy day on Monday with lingering showers and some drizzle.
For central and the northeast, Saturday sees a good chance of showers and drizzle. Winds shift to northerly through the day and it's a steady rain and snow mix Saturday night and Sunday.
Northerly winds gusting 60-80 km/h will keep things chilly. A slushy mess for many, but we may see more substantial accumulation for inland and higher elevation areas from Grand Falls-Windsor to the Baie Verte Peninsula. Skies will slowly clear and winds will ease through the day on Monday.
The south coast will see showers and drizzle Saturday, with scattered showers on Sunday. Mainly cloudy skies on Monday with temperatures rising into the high single and low double digits.
Western Newfoundland is a wet forecast for Saturday with periods of rain, mixed with snow in the higher elevations. We'll see a chance of accumulating snow for Saturday night and into Sunday, especially over higher terrain. Monday is the pick of the weekend here, with clearing skies and double digits.
The Northern Peninsula and southeastern Labrador are not looking pretty with rainfall warnings and snowfall warnings in effect. Up to 20-40 centimetres looks possible for some inland and higher terrain areas. Forty to 60 millimetres looks possible along areas of the coast.
The Happy Valley-Goose Bay region is a tough forecast, riding the fine line between a little bit of snow and the potential for significant accumulation on Saturday. As of Friday afternoon, it appears amounts will remain near 5 centimetres or less. Either way, Sunday looks quiet and Monday looks dynamite.
Western Labrador is the spot to be this weekend. Clearing Saturday with a nice looking Sunday and Monday.
Enjoy the weekend, no matter the weather
"Whether you're up in the woods or going out the bay" — whether it's raining or snowing — I hope you have a great 24th of May long weekend.