A forecast of heavy rain, warmth and wind is already affecting many parts of the Maritimes, with a messy mix of weather causing travel disruptions heading into a very busy holiday weekend.
For the thousands of Maritimers who are travelling, the stormy weather couldn’t come at a worse time.
“We’re heading into the most busy week of the year and so people are stressed out, they’re wanting to get home for the Holidays, or go away for the Holidays as well,” says Julie Pondant, spokesperson for the Greater Moncton International Airport.
That is also the scene at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, where passengers are being told to expect lineups in the days ahead.
“What we’ll see is about 4000-5000 passengers departing from our airport, and more than double that number in totality,” says Nicole Scaplen, spokesperson for the Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
And it’s not just flights that are being affected by the messy first day of winter.
The Digby Ferry to and from Saint John has already been cancelled for both Friday and Saturday, and the Marine Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland is scheduled to leave at least an hour ahead of his regular time, just to be safe.
In Halifax the Public Gardens have closed their gates for the weekend due to a messy mix of high winds and heavy rains.
The city of Moncton is doing what they can to prepare by clearing out over 8000 storm drains across town.
“If residents can help us out, if they can go out and clear out some of the catch basins near their property, that would be very helpful as well,” says Andre Cormier of the City of Moncton.
Rainfall amounts aren’t expected to exceed much more than 20 millimeters in Moncton, so that will help reduce the risk of flooding for at least part of the province.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko and Kate Walker.
