Cloudy, cool and damp end to April, but there's hope for May

In Atlantic Canada the road from spring to summer weatheris a long one, filled with many potholes.

The rest of this week will be a tough and bumpy stretch on our journey, as a blocking high sets up across the northern Atlantic ocean.

That large ridge of high pressure is going to act like a road block and not allow an incoming upper-level low to depart to the northeast, as it typically would.

As a result, the low and its cold pool of air will sit and spin over the region for days.

This blocking high, orcutoff low, setup will not only bring dominant clouds and shower chances, but also draw in colder air from the north and bring the opportunity for snow.

Northern New Brunswick will get the first taste late Wednesday and into Thursday, with accumulating snowfall of 5-15+ cm looking likely. Special weather statements are in effect.

Southern New Brunswick will then see some snow mixing later Thursday and into Friday and Saturday.

As the colder air sinks southward, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. also look likely to see snow mixing in on Friday night, Saturday and into Sunday, with the potential for some accumulation.

Hope for May

A blocking pattern like this one isn't uncommon, especially in the spring months, and all we can do is hope that it's short-lived.

And on that note, there are some encouraging signs.

The North Atlantic Oscillation, or NAO, is an index that measures the pressure. When it's below minus 1, it's prime time for a blocking-high setup here in Atlantic Canada.

As we move into next week, the NAO index is set to trend back to near normal and possibly even into a positive phase, which should set the stage for a more west-to-east weather pattern beginning next week.

That pattern will help temperatures to rebound back to near seasonal.

Beyond seven days is large take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt territory, however long-range guidance indicates temperatures may even flip to slightly above average for the first couple of weeks of May.

By then we'll be a few more kilometres closer to summer, but we'll of course still have to keep an eye out for a few more potholes.