Maritimers dig out of winter wallop

The Maritime provinces are dealing with power outages, accidents and flight cancellations from the first major winter storm of the season.

Southern New Brunswick was hit with about 15 centimetres of snow overnight Saturday and into Sunday, said Mel Lemmon, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

The central part of the province saw between five and 10 centimetres, while northern New Brunswick received only a light dusting of snow, he said.

About 4,500 NB Power customers had their power knocked out. By late Sunday evening, power was restored to everyone except nine customers in Sackville and Sussex.

Environment Canada's winter warning for New Brunswick was lifted on Sunday, with only a couple of centimetres of snow in the forecast, said Lemmon.

Thousands without power

Mainland Nova Scotia received between 10 and 15 centimetres of snow overnight Saturday and a snowfall warning remains in effect for parts of the province, he said.

Between five and 15 centimetres were expected to fall in Inverness County, Victoria County, Sydney Metro and Cape Breton County, Richmond County and Mabou, Lemmon said. Winds were also high in the eastern part of the province, with gusts reaching more than 70 km/h, he said.

Snow and wind caused power outages for about 15,000 Nova Scotia Power customers, about 10,000 of whom were without their electricity on Sunday afternoon. But power was restored by late Sunday evening.

In P.E.I., most of the province saw nearly 15 centimetres of snow fall overnight, with the forecast calling for up to another four centimetres on Sunday, said Lemmon.

An estimated 280 homes on the Island were without electricity as of Sunday afternoon.

Police across the Maritimes say there have been several accidents, and are urging motorists to drive carefully and ensure their vehicles are cleared of snow before hitting the roads.

Meanwhile, Air Canada is advising its customers to check flight departure and arrival information before heading to airports in the region. Several flights across the Maritimes were cancelled.