Tuesday Morning’s Weather Briefing — March 17, 2026
Good Tuesday Morning and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Here are today’s weather highlights:
It’s turning warmer across NL as we start the day, with readings in many areas already above freezing on the Island. Check out the latest temps in the Map Room!
A mix of snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, and soon-to-be rain is falling across the Big Land
Unseasonably warm air will surge across the Province today as a low-pressure centre tracks through eastern Quebec. Highs for many areas will reach the teens today, and on the Island, some places will stay there until Wednesday morning.
Today will be windy for many areas!
The cold air returns to Labrador this evening and tonight very quickly, setting up a flash-freeze.
Rainfall, Wind, Winter Storm and Flash Freeze Warnings are in effect.
Parts of the South Coast will see near 100 mm of rain between today and tomorrow — flooding is a concern.
Colder air moves back in tonight and Wednesday, bringing an end to the active weather and the unseasonably warm conditions.
Today’s Forecast
Our incoming low is currently located over southern Quebec. This is a monstrous system that has tapped into very warm and humid air on the south side, and arctic air on the north and west side. As this moves northeastward, it’s going to change the current mixed bag of weather across NL to a damp one as virtually the entire Province will see above-freezing air move in over the next few hours.
For the Big Land, the substantial but short-lived warm-up will occur today, with much of the area rising to near 10º at various times as warmer air surges northward on the east side of the low. This afternoon, cold air will crash back into Larador West, then quickly march eastward across the rest of the Big Land by Wednesday morning. The sudden drop in temperatures will bring a flash freeze, meaning standing water will freeze very quickly, making travel and moving around very difficult. It will also be quite windy Tuesday into Wednesday. Yellow Level Warnings for a Flash Freeze are currently in effect, along with a Yellow Level Warning for Wind and some ongoing winter-related alerts in the north (will be ended later today).
The hourly temperature forecast for today (March 17, 2026) in Labrador West
Labrador’s forecast for today - March 17, 2026
On the Island, the brief bout of wintry precipitation we had this morning is nearly done, and if it’s not, that will be changing to rain shortly as temperatures are already above freezing in all areas but the east.
Today will become unseasonably warm across the Island (with highs in the mid-to-upper teens) and windy. Expect widespread gusts of 60 to 80 km/h from the southwest. Some Yellow Level Wind Warnings are currently in effect. The forecast image below shows expected highs today; however, the displayed data may be a bit too cool given the setup.
There is a chance that areas of central and northeastern Newfoundland and even parts of the Avalon will get to 15º+ tomorrow with a bit of sunshine.
Newfoundland's forecast for today - March 17, 2026
Showers and pockets of rain will be widespread; however, the heavy, steady rain looks to be limited to the South Coast for much of the day. It will expand northward later Tuesday and Tuesday night as the cold front moves through, ending the rain from west to east by Wednesday morning for all areas except in the east, where the rain will not occur until mid-morning Wednesday. Temperatures fall sharply on Wednesday as a cold front returns to well below freezing.
With nearly 100 mm of rain in the forecast between today and early tomorrow for southern areas, like Burgeo, the risk of flooding is very real. I’ll be watching throughout the day, but in order to know what’s going on, I need to hear from you!
The weather improves from west to east overnight and on Wednesday as the whole system moves to the east and pushes offshore. Colder air will return later tonight, and more seasonable temps remain through the remainder of the week.
I’ll have updates through the day and a detailed forecast posted by ~ 4 PM.
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