Maritimers are getting hit with a blast of winter as a storm moves through the region.
Snow started falling in western New Brunswick early Tuesday morning, making for a tricky morning commute for some motorists.
A number of minor collisions were reported in the Fredericton area as snow fell steadily throughout the morning.
The wintry weather forced a number of New Brunswick schools to close for the afternoon. Schools in zones 1, 2, and 3 of the Anglophone West School District were dismissed three hours early, while the Francophone North West School District closed all schools Tuesday afternoon.
All of this meant another busy day at this tire and auto repair shop.
Auto shop manager Brian Drummond said the phones were “crazy” as they were ringing off the hook with people trying to get their winter tires on.
No such luck at Drummond’s shop for those slow off the mark.
“We're booked up to the 24th right now,” Drummond said.
NB Power says it is monitoring the weather closely, while Nova Scotia Power activated its emergency operations centre around noon Tuesday.
The utility says it’s positioning powerline crews and forestry teams across the province so it can quickly respond to customers affected by power outages.
“Based on the current storm track and forecasted winds, we expect this storm could cause power outages, particularly along the South Shore, Halifax Metro, and the northeastern area of the province, into Cape Breton,” said Matt Drover, Nova Scotia Power’s storm lead, in a news release.
“We will be ready to begin restoration efforts as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
The winds started picking up in the afternoon and there are approximately 4,900 Nova Scotia Power customers in-the-dark and about 500 in New Brunswick.
The bad weather forced the tempary closure of part of the Cobequid Pass in Nova Scotia while the Confederation Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles.
On P.E.I., dangerous and icy road conditions have made it difficult for vehicles to climb hills, resulting in multiple traffic hazards along a stretch of Highway 225 between North Wiltshire and Kinkora.
Marine Atlantic cancelled its scheduled ferries between North Sydney, N.S. and Port-aux-Basques, N.L. The next crossing is scheduled for Thursday, weather permitting.
The city of Halifax says the Public Gardens will be closed tomorrow in anticipation of high-winds, and, as is always the case, when a storm moves in at this time of year, a lot of activity is generated.
In Halifax, salt and sand is being readied for spreading, and the fleet of trucks and other heavy equipment are effectively on-stand-by, watching the forecast -- and the weather-itself.
“If it looks like it's going to be flash-freeze and salting will need to take place, then we'll do so, but right now, it's just a monitoring situation to see what we end up with,” said Guy Deveau of the Nova Scotia transportation department.“We have over 400 pieces of equipment ready to go, and ready to address these winter conditions.”
With the wind, already picking up in early afternoon, the power company began pre-staging crews, and activated its emergency operation centre.
“Typically, with winds of this strength, we do see trees touching power-lines, falling into power lines and taking down poles,” said Nova Scotia Power spokeswoman Tiffany Chase.
RCMP are already reminding drivers to get ready for winter conditions, which means keeping an emergency kit in the car, along with plenty of gas, anti-freeze and a spare blanket in case you get stuck somewhere.
Nova Scotia Power says its crews will be ready to start restoring any outages as quickly as possible, but it's simply not safe to raise bucket trucks when the winds are over 80-km/h, so, if the lights go out at your house overnight, they are asking for patience in getting them back on.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown and Bruce Frisko.
