P.E.I. weather forecast: Winter storm coming after sunny Tuesday

P.E.I. will get a brief sunny break before a winter storm rolls over the region Wednesday.

Tuesday will be mostly sunny, with a high near -6 C.

The snow will start in the early morning hours Wednesday. The skies will cloud over around midnight, with two to five centimetres of snow falling by daybreak, and the temperature rising to -2 C.

The snowfall will be heavy at times Wednesday morning, with the winds picking up and blowing snow causing problems with visibility.

The wind will start out of the east at 30 km/h gusting to 50 and increase to 50 km/h gusting to 80 by noon. In the afternoon the wind will veer to the southwest at 40 km/h, gusting to 70.

The high will be near 0 C. In the early afternoon the snow will be mixed with rain, but it will shift back to snow in the late afternoon.

About 15 to 20 centimetres of snow are expected.

The Island could get more snow at the end of the week. The system that brought rain Monday will circle around Hudson Bay and return to the Maritimes Saturday, likely bringing snow this time.