Maritimers digging out, cleaning up after dump of snow

Friday was a snow day for most students in Nova Scotia as the region cleaned up following heavy snow and windy conditions that began Thursday afternoon.

Schools across the province were closed Friday, while New Brunswick experienced some bus delays.

There were no school closures on Prince Edward Island.

Preliminary reports indicate southern New Brunswick and most of mainland Nova Scotia received the most snow, with totals ranging between 20 and 30 cm.

Other areas of the region saw amounts between 10 and 20 cm, with lower totals of between five and 10 cm in northern New Brunswick and parts of Cape Breton.

Snowfall warnings remain in place in Yarmouth and Shelburne counties, with 15 cm of snow expected Saturday morning into the evening.

SNOW DAY

Children had plenty to work with Friday as they made snow piles on their day off from school.

“They wait for these days,” said Mariz Adona as she watched her three children play in the yard in Lower Sackville., N.S.

Six-year-old Kata Adona, her nine-year-old sister Abby and four-year-old Dominique enjoy a snow day in Lower Sackville, N.S. (Heidi Petracek/CTV Atlantic)“Winter’s only here now. I like when they’re playing in the snow.”

In the nearby Beverly Hills subdivision, a trail of kids carrying small snow shovels made their way down the street to help shovel their grandparents’ walkway.

“Every snow day, we come down and help Grammie and Grampie shovel out, as well as the (older) ladies on the street,” said mom Megan Balcom.

Balcom, who is also 38 weeks’ pregnant, said she’s hoping to kick off her labour by throwing a few shovelfuls of snow herself.

“We’re hoping that baby might make her entrance with shovelling,” she said, laughing. “Let’s hope.”

Chance Contant shovels out in Lower Sackville, N.S., on Friday, March 3, 2023. (Heidi Petracek/CTV Atlantic)

TRAVEL

Halifax-area motorists experienced white-out conditions, reduced visibility, and snow-covered and slick roads early Friday morning.

Halifax Regional Police recommended drivers stay off the roads unless “absolutely necessary” until the conditions improved.

Halifax Transit suspended service at 10 p.m. Thursday. It resumed at 10 a.m. Friday with several routes on snow plans.

Snow is pictured at Halifax Transit's Sackville Terminal in Lower Sackville, N.S., on March 3, 2023. (Heidi Petracek/ CTV Atlantic)Halifax’s parking ban was enforced from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. to allow crews to clear streets and sidewalks. At 7 a.m. Friday, the city said surfaces were snow-covered and told drivers to prepare for winter conditions and use caution.

The overnight parking ban will continue to be enforced from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday.

A municipal spokesperson for the city says the storm brought “the most snow that (Halifax) has received” this season.

“Crews worked through the night and they’re also working around the clock today, tonight, and into tomorrow, to clear all of this snow,” Laura Wright said Friday.

Snow-covered roads are pictured in Middle Sackville, N.S., on Fri., March 3, 2023.The Country Harbour ferry from Port Bickerton to Isaacs Harbour, N.S., suspended service early Friday morning.

Marine Atlantic’s 11:45 a.m. crossings between North Sydney, N.S., and Port Aux Basques, N.L., departed on time, according to its latest update online.

Saint John Transit says busses are operating, though there may be delays due to road conditions.

The Annapolis Valley’s Kings Transit Authority delayed service until 10 a.m.

The Halifax Stanfield International Airport said there were a few delays and cancellations on their board as of 7 a.m. and asked travellers to check their flight status before coming to the airport.

The majority of flights out of and to the Charlottetown Airport and the Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport appear to be on time.

POWER

There are no power outages in New Brunswick Friday morning. There was a planned outage affecting one customer in the Moncton area Friday afternoon.

As of 1:30 p.m., there were two Maritime Electric customers without power on P.E.I., a decease from the 21 customers in the morning.

In Nova Scotia, there were 19 outages affecting 2,885 customers. The largest outage was in the Antigonish, N.S., areas affecting 1,089 customers.

Earlier in the day, there were 31 outages affecting 919 Nova Scotia Power customers.

The utility’s outage map says heavy snowfall is to blame for the majority of the outages. Restoration times vary by community.