Storm lined up for the Maritimes for third Monday in a row

The storm that brought heavy rain and high wind to the Maritimes at the start of this week on satellite. (Courtesy: NASA)

For the third consecutive week, a stronger low-pressure system with significant weather will impact the Maritimes on a Monday.

As a quick re-cap, the first low on Dec. 4 brought a heavy and wet snowfall to Nova Scotia. The second storm on Dec. 11 brought heavy rain to New Brunswick, scattered power outages, and travel disruptions. The third storm arriving next Monday, Dec. 18, will more closely resemble that one. The largest weather concerns will be pockets of heavy rain and issues associated with high winds.

Speaking with Bob Robichaud, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, this pattern isn’t all that unusual for our colder season. Bob explained that “the frequency of coastal lows, such as those that originate from the Gulf of Mexico or Cape Hatteras, is about seven days.” If the mid- and upper-level pattern in the atmosphere is favourable for directing those systems towards the Maritimes, which it has been since the start of December, then we can end up with weather impacts from those systems on or near the same day of the week.

This next storm starts this Saturday in the Gulf of Mexico. The low crossing Florida on Sunday and then moving up the eastern U.S. seaboard and into New England by Monday afternoon. That places the Maritimes on the milder, rainy, and windy eastern side of the storm.

Once again it looks like a high southerly wind and pockets of heavy rain for the regionA strong southerly wind will peak Monday afternoon and evening for western New Brunswick and western Nova Scotia. The strong wind peaking for eastern New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and eastern Nova Scotia including Cape Breton Monday evening and night. The strong wind looks to be diminished by Tuesday morning though gusty conditions still present for that day.

Strong gusts of 70-to-110 km/hr are possible. Gusts reaching or exceeding 100 km/hr most likely for coastal areas of Nova Scotia, the Bay of Fundy area of New Brunswick, and coastal areas of Prince Edward Island. Due to the topography of the Highlands, northern Inverness County in Cape Breton could hit gusts of 130 km/hr Monday night into early Tuesday morning.

Similar weather systems in the past, as in last Monday, have produced scattered power outages in the region. Some travel disruptions such as delays or cancellations in ferry services should also be anticipated. It would be a good idea to bring in easily wind blown or damaged holiday decorations on Sunday. We don’t want Santa taking flight before his big day later this month.

Strong southerly winds arrive in western areas of the Maritimes Monday afternoon and evening. Shifting eastward through Monday night.For most of the Maritimes, the rain looks like it will be in the range of 20-to-50 mm. Pockets of higher rain amounts of 50-to-90 mm are possible. As of Friday afternoon, areas at a higher risk of the heavier rain are parts of southwestern New Brunswick, Atlantic coastal Nova Scotia, and across eastern Nova Scotia, including Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough, and Cape Breton.

Greens and yellow representing a rain of about 20 to 50 mm. Oranges and reds indicating areas at risk of rain totals of 50 to 90 mm Monday through Tuesday noon.

As of 4 p.m. Friday, Environment Canada has Special Weather Statements in effect for southern New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The statements caution on rain totals that could approach or exceed 50 mm for some areas, as well as wind gusts ranging 80 km/h to in excess of 100 km/h. The National Weather Service in Maine has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook cautioning that the same system may bring strong southerly winds and a heavy rainfall Sunday night into Monday night.