Heavy rain and wind are being blamed for power outages in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Thousands of Nova Scotia Power customers were without electricity Friday morning, mostly along the South Shore. As of 1 p.m., just over 500 customers were without power in the Bridgetown area.
Thousands of NB Power customers were also left in the dark Friday. More than 3,600 customers were still without power as of 1 p.m.
The outages have resulted in some school closures in both provinces.
The wet weather has also contributed to minor accidents, resulting in some traffic tieups during the morning rush hour in Halifax.
Motorists are being advised to drive carefully and adjust their speed to avoid hydroplaning.
The weather also resulted in the cancellation of some Marine Atlantic ferry sailings between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia Friday morning.
Marine Atlantic says they are watching the forecasts to see if there will be anymore cancellations Friday afternoon and evening.
The Halifax ferry is still running on schedule.
A wind warning was also issued for the Confederation Bridge linking New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
Flights at Maritime airports appear to be running smoothly. There were a few delays but no cancellations Friday morning. However, travellers are still being advised to check ahead for scheduling changes.
CTV meteorologist Cindy Day says an area of low pressure will continue to move northeastward throughout the day and overnight.
“The storm is still strengthening,” says Day. “As the central pressure continues to fall, the sustained winds will reach 50 and 60 kilometres per hour with gust to 90 kilometres per hour this afternoon and tonight over the Fundy region and the Tantramar Marsh area.”
Day says there could be local gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour along coastal area of Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore and Cape Breton, beginning late Friday afternoon and continuing into the evening.
“Most of the rain will have moved out but the winds will be very strong until well after sunset,” says Day. “The gusts will drop below 50 kilometres per hour around midnight.”
Day says rainfall totals could reach 40 millimetres over western New Brunswick, 10 to 15 millimetres elsewhere in the province and in Prince Edward Island.
“Additional rainfall amounts of five to 15 millimetres are expected for Nova Scotia this afternoon,” she says.
According to Day, another rain system is moving along the eastern seaboard. It is expected to bring rain to Nova Scotia and eastern Prince Edward Island overnight Saturday and into Sunday.
With files from The Canadian Press
