Rain in the forecast over the next day will be a welcome help for crews battling wildfires across the province.
Allister Aalders, 95.7’s weather specialist, says a cold front will move through the region Thursday night, bringing scattered showers.
“Rainfall amounts are going to vary considerably,” said Aalders. “In general, it’s only 1 to 5 millimetres from the showers, but in the event of a downpour or thunderstorm, locally there could be 20 to 30, possibly 40 millimetres of rain.”
Aalders says areas from the Annapolis Valley across to the North Shore and up to Cape Breton have the best chance of seeing the higher rainfall amounts.
The rain will be short-lived, though. The forecast for Halifax Regional Municipality on Friday and through the weekend calls for sunshine and temperatures around 25 C.
Desperation for rain
Rainfall has plummeted to roughly 60 per cent of normal levels in Halifax, with 270 millimetres falling from April to the end of July, compared to average levels of 460 mm for the same period, Agriculture Canada says.
“It looks to be one of the driest Augusts on record (to date) … preceded by one of the driest months of July to date,” Environment Canada forecaster Brian Proctor said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.
Trevor Hadwen, a specialist with Agriculture Canada, said that while the drought conditions aren’t unprecedented in the Atlantic region, 2025 has been an “abnormally dry” year.