HALIFAX — A third storm in three weeks is set to bring more snow across Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, forcing the cancellation of a Groundhog Day event with a famous prognosticating rodent.
The Nova Scotia government said in a news release that the annual Feb. 2 event at Shubenacadie Wildlife Park is cancelled due to the forecast for blowing snow, which it said could create poor driving conditions for people heading to the park about 50 kilometres north of Halifax.
“Shubenacadie Sam will not see a shadow, which — according to folklore — means an early spring,” the release said.
Environment Canada had parts of eastern Newfoundland under an orange storm warning Sunday, set to last until Tuesday morning. An orange alert is issued when severe weather is likely to result in significant damage, disruption or health impacts.
The weather agency said the Avalon and Burin peninsulas could expect between 35 and 50 centimetres of snow by Tuesday. Those will come with wind gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour, making for poor visibility and dangerous travel conditions.
Jason Sheppard, meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the cold temperatures will mean the snow should be light and fine, meaning it can easily get picked up by strong winds to create pockets of blowing snow.
“We should see some reduced visibilities. Snow should be able to blow around pretty good as the winds pick up from the north.”
Much of the rest of Newfoundland was under a yellow storm warning, with 15 to 30 centimetres of snow expected.
In Nova Scotia, the eastern half of the province and Cape Breton were also under yellow storm warnings.
Sheppard warned that the eastern half of the province could see up to 25 centimetres of snow by Monday afternoon.
He said New Brunswick will likely escape the worst of this storm, but parts of Prince Edward Island, especially the eastern half of the province, could also see some snowfall overnight.
This is the third nor’easter to hit the Atlantic region in three weeks. Last week, a powerful storm swept across much of Eastern Canada, shuttering schools and businesses across the country and cancelling flights.
In Nova Scotia, the province’s power utility said it planned to activate its Emergency Operations Centre to monitor the impending storm. The City of Halifax also put an overnight parking ban in effect on municipal streets to allow crews to get an early start on snow clearing.
While much of the region is still recovering from the last storm, Sheppard said there’s likely more to come.
“Stay tuned. We’re only the first of February, so we’ve got another six to eight weeks to go yet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2026.
Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press