For the first time this year, Halifax called up its extreme weather protocol because of Monday night’s blizzard, giving the most vulnerable a place to seek shelter.

“We can ensure that people who are most vulnerable are protected in these kind of events,” said Patti Melanson, head of Nova Scotia’s Mobile Outreach Street Health Unit.

Melanson says a number of people dropped by the warming centre, which was open Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning in the city's north end.

“It's not a shelter,” said Melanson. “We have food there, we might have bus tickets there.”

Tuesday began much the way Monday ended in Halifax – snow and wind causing problems on the roads.

Cape Bretoners woke up to the storm, making for a rough start for those who chose to venture out.

The storm surge was powerful enough in northern Cape Breton to send waves washing over roads. The blizzard ended in most Cape Breton regions by the noon hour.

Transit service and schools shut down for the day in Sydney.

With snow tapering off by midday and temperatures rising, mainland Nova Scotia started coming back to life. 

“It was a challenging night,” said Trevor Harvie of HRM’s superintendent of winter operations. “Lot of wind, lot of blowing snow, we went non-stop. But we're three hours after the snow stopped – we've got a lot of streets already to bare asphalt.”

Some residents were less happy than the officials with the cleanup.

“I think they need to get to a little bit faster because people walking in the roads is always like a scary thing,” said resident Amy Vinnedge.

“This one was tougher because it lasted longer,” said Cape Breton resident Jason Callaghan.“We had blizzard conditions until noon time (Tuesday), so it's a lot longer an event. Really tires our guys out faster."

The overnight winter parking ban is once again in effect Tuesday night from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Municipal officials say for the most part, people seem to be complying.

A total of 71 tickets were handed out Monday night and seven vehicles were towed. That's down from an average of 200 to 300 tickets each night during last year's storms.

Halifax Regional Police ticketed three people for driving with their windows obstructed by snow – reminding everyone to take the time to brush off their cars before leaving home.

Municipal crews are still out in full force with more than 200 pieces of equipment on the roads and sidewalks continuing the cleanup.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Sarah Ritchie and Ryan MacDonald