12/19/2025
What's Up New Brunswick Storm — live from the couch with soggy slippers
Good evening, Maritimes — grab your scarves, your sense of humour and a very heavy anchor (for your inflatable Santa). A southerly storm with attitude is rolling in Friday, and it’s bringing warm temps, heavy rain and wind strong enough to give your Christmas lights a new postal code.
The vibe
Temperatures: Suddenly double-digits and low teens. Yes, it’s mid-December. Yes, Mother Nature is playing thermostat roulette.
Wind: Widespread gusts 80–100 km/h for Nova Scotia, PEI and southern New Brunswick. Exposed coasts and higher ground: possible peaks to 110 km/h. Trees, weak branches and questionable decorations should consider booking emergency exit flights.
Rain: A solid soaking — widespread 10–30 mm. Combined with melted snow, that’s runoff and localized flooding potential.
Timing: Rain and wind sweep west to east Friday afternoon into evening. New Brunswick gets the stormiest Friday afternoon/evening; Nova Scotia sees the worst Friday evening into overnight. Eastern Maritimes feel it into early Saturday.
After-effects: Temperatures tumble Saturday; leftover puddles may refreeze into sneaky ice by afternoon/evening. Gusts ease through Saturday from 60–80 km/h downwards.
Why this matters
Power: These winds routinely peel power from trees and make lines do unfortunate things. Nova Scotia Power is activating its Emergency Ops Centre — crews are on standby. Prepare for possible outages.
Decorations: If your inflatable Santa has dreams of flying, now’s the audition. Secure holiday decor or you may be sponsoring airborne reindeer.
Safety checklist (do these now — not after the inflatable takes off)
Charge phones, power banks and any devices you’d need during an outage.
Have flashlights, batteries, and a portable radio handy. Candles are romantic until someone pets a curtain.
Move vehicles off flooded streets and avoid parking under big trees.
Secure or store loose outdoor items and holiday inflatables.
Check storm drains and gutters — clear leaves so meltwater can exit, not stage a comeback.
If using a generator, follow safe operation rules (outdoors, away from windows, proper ventilation).
Heads-up for travellers and the week ahead
Travel could be messy Friday night into Saturday; plan around it if you can.
Another system is eying the region Sunday (could bring snow to New Brunswick and mostly rain for Nova Scotia/PEI).
More uncertainty around a late-Tuesday-to-Wednesday system (Christmas Eve) — possibly snowy. Stay tuned.
Final thought: This storm is part hairstylist, part electrician, part mild weather miracle. Respect the wind, secure the yard, and keep emergency numbers close. If your inflatable Santa does in fact achieve liftoff, please film responsibly and report sightings to local authorities — and to us, because that’s content gold.
Stay safe, Maritimes. What's Up New Brunswick — out.
