Weather warnings in effect as fall storm moves through the Maritimes

It will be a messy evening across the Maritimes on Monday. A large area of low pressure, and associated weather fronts, continues to bring a mix of snow and rain, along with high and gusty winds.

Accumulating snow has mostly been restricted to northern areas of New Brunswick, with Madawaska County and the western half of Restigouche County placed under a snowfall warning that calls for up to 15 cm of snow. The snow will be wet by nature, possibly mixed with rain.

Much of the rest of the Maritimes will see rain, with amounts in a general range of 10 to 40 mm. Higher rain totals are expected in parts of Nova Scotia, with rainfall warnings calling for totals of 40 to 60 mm in eastern Halifax County and Guysborough County. The rain and snow will clear west-to-east in the afternoon through evening.

Snow clearing northern New Brunswick and rain clearing the remainder of the Maritimes Monday afternoon through evening.

The southeast wind has and continues to be strong. Gusts ranging 60 to 80 km/h have been reported in the Bay of Fundy and along exposed coastal areas of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. A round of stronger southeast gusts are expected to arrive on the Eastern Shore of mainland Nova Scotia, as well as Cape Breton late Monday afternoon through evening. Those areas could peak with gusts near 90 km/h and are under a wind warning. Due to the topography of the Highlands, northern Inverness County could reach peak gusts of 130 km/h Monday evening and night.

Some of the strongest southeast winds are expected in eastern areas of Nova Scotia late afternoon through evening. Gusts near 90 km/h, expect stronger coming down the Highlands in Inverness County.

The wind is expected to become westerly and diminish in western parts of the Maritimes by Monday evening. Eastern parts of the Maritimes follow by midnight. The Sydney area in Cape Breton may linger in the southeast wind until a few hours after midnight.

By midnight, most of the region will be over to a westerly wind with greatly diminished gusts.

Two storm surge warnings were issued in the Maritime region. One for the Acadian Peninsula and one for parts of the coastline of the Bay of Chaleur. The warnings call for waves up to three metres breaking as they near shore and higher than normal water levels near the high tide, close to 4 p.m.