First heavy snowfall of December likely on Monday for parts of the Maritimes

A man walks through a walking trail during a snow storm in Fredericton on Sunday, December 27, 2015. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)

A low pressure system moving out of the northeastern United States and passing along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia is likely to bring parts of the Maritimes the first heavy snowfall for December on Monday.

A heavy snowfall is defined as 15 cm or more falling within 12 hours or less, which is the criteria for a Snowfall Warning by Environment Canada. The province that will most likely see heavy snowfall looks like New Brunswick as of Friday afternoon.

CTV Atlantic chief meteorologist Kalin Mitchell say there’s a chance parts of Prince Edward Island, northern mainland Nova Scotia, and the Cape Breton Highlands will also see that heavy snow.

The snow looks to taper to become lighter towards the border of New Brunswick and Quebec. The snow becomes progressively more mixed or completely turns to rain moving towards Atlantic coastal Nova Scotia.

The mix of snow and rain is timed to start Sunday night in western areas of the Maritimes, with snow and rain falling across the region by Monday morning. Snow and rain easing to scattered showers and flurries by and through Monday afternoon.

Some computer weather models over the past few days show the more significant accumulating snow further into Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Mitchell recommends monitoring the Sunday night and Monday forecast through the weekend.

East and northeast gusts peaking 50 to 80 km/h may accompany the mix of snow and rain. The strongest of the gusts most likely on exposed areas of the coastline and higher terrain.

As of 3 p.m. Friday no weather alerts have been issued by Environment Canada. The National Weather Service in Maine has a hazardous weather outlook in place for the state cautioning that the same system could bring a significant snowfall Sunday night.