More than 44,000 Nova Scotian homes without power after day of freezing rain, ice

A nasty winter storm is bringing significant snowfall, ice pellets, freezing rain and rain to the province Friday and into Saturday morning. 

There will be a very tight gradient between the areas that see heavy snow, those that see a mixture of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain and then those that see significant freezing. A slight shift in track would alter these boundaries.

Power outages began Friday morning.

As of 9:36 p.m. AT, there were more than 44,000 outages spanning across the province.

Nova Scotia Power said crews are working through the storm.

"We've seen quite a bit of ice buildup from the freezing rain on trees adjacent to our infrastructure which caused power outages," Nova Scotia Power storm lead Sean Borden said. 

Borden said icy roads are the biggest challenge for crews. Power was estimated to be restored in most areas by 11 p.m. AT.

Nova Scotia Power will work in shifts around the clock until all outages are restored, Borden said.

"We'll continue to move crews to the hardest areas that are impacted," he said.

The weather forced most schools to cancel classes on Friday. For a full list of closures visit CBC Storm Centre.

The Halifax Regional Municipality said the overnight winter parking ban would be enforced between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. local time on Saturday in zones 1 and 2. 

Search and Rescue Halifax will be doing check-ins at homeless encampments at 23 sites around the Halifax.

"We expect we will have one or two vehicles on the road this evening," said Paul Service, a public information officer for the organization.

Service said the biggest risk for people with freezing rain is hypothermia.

"Our concern is if they get wet, hypothermia can set in faster because they don't have the ability to get dry, they don't have the chance to get the moisture away from their skin which is going to affect their ... ability to stay warm," Service said.

The George Dixon Centre will open as a temporary emergency shelter from 9 p.m. on Friday to 9 a.m. on Saturday. Those at the shelter will be provided with comfort kits and food, the Halifax municipality stated in a news release.

The municipality said a decision will be made on Saturday morning whether to reopen the shelter on Saturday night, based on conditions

The St. Matthew's Warming Centre will be open on Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. 

Service said while most people don't accept a ride to the warming centre, search and rescue is able to help in other ways like providing blankets and sleeping bags.

CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said the heaviest snowfall is expected for Colchester and Cumberland counties where it will mix with lots of ice pellets with totals between 15-30 centimetres.

Much of Annapolis Valley through Hants County to Truro, across the Northumberland shore and into northern Cape Breton will likely see some snow, but lots of ice pellets and periods of extended and significant freezing rain, said Snoddon.

Further south, from Digby County to Halifax to Sydney, heavy rainfall and significant freezing rain is on the way.

He said with 12 to 18 hours of icing — possibly 24 hours in some areas — significant ice buildup is likely through Friday night.

"This extended period of freezing rain will lead to ice building up on surfaces like roads, sidewalks, trees and power lines. The risk of power outages is high, so make sure your emergency kits, including batteries and flashlights are ready to go," said Snoddon.

Timing of storm 

Temperatures began falling in northern Nova Scotia Friday morning with rain changing over to a mix of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain. Snoddon said the freezing temperatures will continue to push southward toward the Atlantic Coast changing rain to freezing rain. 

In Yarmouth, Shelburne and Queens counties, temperatures should stay warm enough to remain as rain Friday but that will change to freezing rain later Friday night. Local amounts could reach 75-100 millimetres for those areas.

The rest of the counties along the Atlantic coast from Lunenburg, though Halifax and down the Eastern Shore will remain near the freezing mark on Friday but ice buildup is likely, even if the temperatures rise above zero, said Snoddon. 

As we move into Friday evening it's more of the same, however, dropping temperatures will push the freezing rain threat into southwestern Nova Scotia. The risk of power outages will continue to rise as the ice continues to build up in areas seeing the most significant freezing rain. 

Friday night into Saturday morning, it appears we'll finally see our system begin to shift and the icy mess begin to change back over to flurries from north to south, with flurries gradually clearing from west to east through the afternoon and evening. 

Stay tuned for updates on CBC Radio, TV and online for updates as this storm tracks through.