Some closures, power outages in the Maritimes with first storm of the winter season

Parts of the Maritimes were experiencing their first winter storm on Friday as a messy weather system moved north from the eastern U.S.

Several weather warnings were in place with school closures in parts of all three provinces.

Weather Warnings

In Nova Scotia, a wind warning remains in effect for parts of Cape Breton. Maximum southeasterly wind gusts could reach as high as 140 km/h in Inverness County from Margaree Harbour to Bay St. Lawrence. Drivers are advised to be prepared to adjust with changing road conditions.

Schools

New Brunswick saw closures in two school districts due to weather conditions Friday. School bus delays were expected in the Anglophone East district which includes Moncton, but regular classes were scheduled.

In Nova Scotia, classes were cancelled at École NDA in Cheticamp. Several bus routes were cancelled in Strait Regional Centre for Education in the northeast of the province.

All classes in the Westisle family of schools in P.E.I. were closed.

Government Closures

There were no government closures for any of the three Maritime provinces Friday.

Health

In New Brunswick, Blackville Health Centre, the Chipman Health Centre, the Orormocto Health Centre, the Stanley Health Centre and the Boiestown Health Centre are closed due to power outages.

No closures are reported for Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island.

Travel

Due to adverse weather conditions, Marine Atlantic has rescheduled ferries sailing between North Sydney and Port Aux Pasques Friday night until Saturday.

Weather services say windy conditions on the Confederation Bridge could restrict travel.

Power

A representative from NB Power confirmed power outages throughout the province Friday morning as a result of the storm. They said snowy roads were slowing restoration efforts, but crews would continue to work as long as conditions remain safe. Outages have increased throughout the day.

At 11 a.m., NB Power reported 455 outages affecting 34,189 customers. As of 6 p.m., NB Power was reporting 431 outages affecting 14,126 customers without power. 

At 12:30 p.m. NS Power was reporting 25 power outages affecting 1,115 customers, up from 23 outages affecting 99 customers, as of 11 a.m. As of 6 p.m., NS Power was reporting 13 outages affecting 81 customers.

Maritime Electric in Prince Edward Island was reporting 1,694 customers were without power at 12:30, up from 5 customers reporting power outages at 11 a.m. As of 6 p.m., there was only 1 customer without power in P.E.I. 

Canada Post Service

Canada Post workers remained on strike.