Snow and strong gusts moved through Atlantic Canada on Wednesday as a low pressure system swept in from the southwest, creating power outages, school closures and poor driving conditions.
The system moved in quickly, blanketing streets and powerlines. Police asked the public to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary, hoping to give plows and emergency crews space to get around on snow-covered roads.
“The snow plowing did begin soon after the snow began, and the sidewalks were started soon after that,” said Jennifer Stairs with the City of Halifax.
A winter storm warning was in place in most regions of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia by early morning.
Those who did venture out were met with slippery conditions, making travel treacherous. Highway 104 in Nova Scotia closed down near the Tantramar Marsh area after an early morning crash.
Even as the snow tapered off in Halifax, airport arrival and departure boards were coloured with delays and cancellations.
“This is what I would call a minor disruption,” said Peter Spurway of the Halifax Airport Authority.
Nasty weather in New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Cape Breton caused a ripple effect.
“We had a number of cancellations out of other cities and destinations from within the region,” said Spurway. “Of course, if they don't come in they tend not to go out.”
The morning's long list of cancellations and closures gave way to fair skies and melting by afternoon, giving shovellers some relief.
Universities, government offices and many businesses on the mainland reopened in the afternoon.
“Essentially the snow stopped right around 8:30 in all areas so that clock begins to tick then, so we expect that all the streets will be completed within the timelines,” said Stairs.
Cape Bretoners woke up to howling winds and blinding conditions. The Cape Breton Regional Hospital was operating under emergency services only.
“It was really busy,” said Public Works manager John Phalen. “Initially we had a lot of problems with visibility. The biggest problem was the blowing snow. All equipment was out and everything worked pretty well.”
Nearly 40 centimetres of snow fell in Fredericton, shutting down post-secondary institutions and residential schools.
The city pulled public transit off the road when it became clear conditions were not improving.
“If we're encouraging the public to be off the road that’s one thing we have to take into consideration, so our transit crews decided to pull crews around 10:15 (Wednesday) morning,” said Wayne Knorr with the City of Fredericton
Buses remained on the roads in Moncton, but Canada Post mail delivery in the hub city was disrupted.
In Saint John, cleanup efforts will go right into the early morning hours of Thursday. A temporary ban for on-street parking begins at midnight in the north, east and west ends of the city.
Nova Scotia Power estimated the number of power outages at over 11,000 customers early in the morning, but the figure was dropping quickly through the day as the storm started to abate and repair crews fixed downed lines.
Marine Atlantic ferry crossings between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador were delayed until Thursday.
As the sun came out, so did the snow lovers, taking full advantage of the day off work and school.
“We thought we'd catch some sunshine and a little fresh air, slide down Citadel Hill,” said Al Joesph. “It's kind of an iconic snowstorm thing to do.”
While conditions have improved, the work will continue late into the night in Halifax.
"Side streets and secondary roads are being done now and then we will be onto sidewalks for school tomorrow,” said Phalen. “We will also keep an eye on the weather because it's going to get cold again, so we will be out salting tonight.”
With more snow expected over the weekend, snow crews aren’t taking any chances.
With files from The Canadian Press.
