A mix of high winds and freezing rain led to iced up powerlines, snapped polls and kept many Cape Breton children at home on the first full day of spring.
Both the island and parts of Guysborough County were hit with the messy weather overnight Monday, into Tuesday.
Nova Scotia Power says 6,000 customers were off the grid during the worst it. About 80 crews were on the island for cleanup.
"Freezing rain's been building up on lines and equipment, as well as on trees and branches,” said David Rodenhiser of Nova Scotia Power. “The main problem has been ice build-up on trees and branches, causing trees to come in contact with power lines."
Amanda MacDonald of Sydney had her vehicle trapped in her driveway, surrounded by downed wires.
"For now, we're stuck,” said MacDonald. “We're not going anywhere. I don't want to touch it, just in case."
The closer to the ocean, the worse the damage seems. In Dominion, a downed wire blocked an entire street.
A fallen powerline across someone’s driveway caught fire in Georges River, N.S.
"Small fire, burnt itself out once the line let go,” said Chief Travis Briand of the Georges River Volunteer Fire Department. “Now the wind has picked up, so it's creating a lot of mayhem.”
Schools in the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board were cancelled for the second straight day.
Despite slick roads, there were only a few minor collisions in the Sydney area. City crews are still trying to catch up after two days of wicked, but very different weather.
"They are continuing to clear sidewalks from the previous snow (Monday), and as a preventative measure, they are also monitoring and clearing any storm drains," said Shannon Kerr, spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Nova Scotia Power expects most customers to be back on the grid by Tuesday night.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald.
