No need to dream, White Christmas all but assured in the Maritimes

White Christmas in Maritimes CTV News Atlantic's chief meteorologist Kalin Mitchell looks at the incoming snow in parts of the Maritimes this week.

Thanks to an early season nor’easter followed by a period of cold weather, much of the Maritimes has a good layer of snow on the ground. Another low-pressure system will swing out of the Great Lakes and bring further snowfall to the Maritimes on Tuesday, all but ensuring a white Christmas.

Weekend snow reports

The snow piled up for a large portion of the Maritimes this past weekend thanks to the nor’easter and localized snow squalls.

The nor’easter brought 10 to 30 cm of snow across much of southern and eastern New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Snow totals climbed higher for areas that saw flurries and squalls move in off ocean waters. Reports from the North Shore for mainland Nova Scotia and the Cape Breton Highlands show as much as 40 to 50 cm of snow fell Friday night through Monday morning.

Snow squalls continue Monday afternoon for Inverness and Victoria Counties in Cape Breton. The squalls are expected to diminish through Monday evening.

White Christmas outlook

A “White Christmas” requires 2 cm of snow on the ground Christmas morning by definition. A “Perfect Christmas” requires 2 cm of snow on the ground accompanied by falling snow.

Modelling shows the majority of the Maritimes should see the required 2 cm of snow on Christmas morning thanks to the nor’easter and second weather system expected Tuesday. There is a chance some flurries and areas of light snow will linger into Wednesday morning. Western Nova Scotia has the highest chance of falling snow Christmas day.

The chances for a White Christmas in each of the Maritime capital cities is 44 per cent for Charlottetown, 40 per cent for Frederiction, and 32 per cent for Halifax based on averages for the last few decades.

More snow to come

A low-pressure system moving out of the Great Lakes region will bring snowfall to the Maritimes Tuesday.

Snow will develop across much of New Brunswick early Tuesday morning and move across Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island by noon. The snow will be heavy at times in parts of southern New Brunswick and western Nova Scotia.

The snow will continue into Tuesday evening but by midnight it will have diminished, leaving a chance of flurries for most of the Maritimes with the exception of coastal areas along the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick and southwestern Nova Scotia. Those areas look like they will see the highest overall snowfall.

Much of southern New Brunswick and mainland Nova Scotia is under a Special Weather Statement that calls for 5 to 15 cm Tuesday through Wednesday morning.

Snowfall Warnings have been posted for the Kennebecasis Valley and Bay of Fundy area of New Brunswick as well as western Cumberland County, the Annapolis Valley and southwest of Nova Scotia. The warnings call for 15 cm of snow or more in 12 hours or less starting Tuesday morning. The weather agency says additional snow may be possible through the day on Wednesday.