The first significant snowstorm of the season is expected to move into Maine on Tuesday morning, with forecasters warning Monday that driving conditions could be dangerous.

The storm is expected drop at least 3 to 5 inches of snow along Maine’s coast, but inland areas could get 8 inches or more by late Tuesday night. During the afternoon, snow could fall at a rate of an inch an hour.

“The evening commute (Tuesday) could be potentially dangerous,” said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Gray.

Snowfall rates will intensify through Tuesday afternoon, approaching an inch per hour during the evening commute, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service has issued a winter storm warning for Cumberland, York, Androscoggin, Kennebec and Waldo counties, as well as the southern portions of Oxford, Franklin and Somerset counties. The warning is in effect from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 4 a.m. Wednesday.

The winter storm warning warns that falling and blowing snow may drop visibility below a quarter mile, creating dangerous driving conditions.

When snow falls at a rate of an inch an hour, it can be very difficult to see the road, especially if plows are struggling to keep up, Palmer said.

The storm should bring snow that’s good for winter sports activities in the mountains, Palmer said. The snow will be wettest and heaviest along the immediate coast.

The snow is expected to wrap up overnight Tuesday as the coastal low moves offshore, Palmer said.

“Things will clear out pretty quickly, and we’ll wake up to mostly clear or partly cloudy skies Wednesday morning,” he said.

Superintendents in southern and central Maine school districts are largely waiting until later Monday or early Tuesday to make calls about whether to cancel school because of the storm. By early Monday afternoon, MSAD 61 — the district that covers Casco, Naples and Bridgton — had announced it will be closed Tuesday.

Portland city officials are reminding residents to watch for parking bans and to clear snow and ice from sidewalks abutting their properties.

The city’s Department of Public Works is ready for winter operations, according to director Mike Murray.

“The forecast currently predicts we will be getting our first snow event (Tuesday) and as such we are preparing to ensure the city’s streets are clear and safe,” he said in a statement Monday.

This winter, Portland residents face higher fees for failing to move vehicles during a storm parking ban. The City Council recently raised the fee to $130 in an effort to improve compliance with winter plow operations.

Several communities had already announced parking bans as of Monday, including Freeport, Sanford and Old Orchard Beach.

In Lewiston-Auburn, Citylink transportation has been canceled for Tuesday.

The U.S. Postal Service is asking Mainers to keep walkways, sidewalks and approaches to mailboxes clear from snow and ice to carriers can safely deliver the mail. Carriers are not allowed to attempt door delivery when there is a heavy buildup of snow or ice on sidewalks, steps or porches, according to the postal service.

This story will be updated.