Nova Scotia

Maritimers digging out after blizzard rocks region

Maritimers are digging out today from a blizzard that slammed much of the region today. The low-pressure system bringing warmer temperatures to the rest of the Maritimes is expected to bring snow, ice pellets, freezing rain and rain to New Brunswick on Monday.

Road, sidewalk crews playing catchup after storm sweeps across Atlantic Seaboard

Maritimers are digging out today from a blizzard that  slammed much of the region Friday.
Maritimers were busy on Saturday trying to dig out from underneath snow dumped by Friday's blizzard. (Anjuli Patil/CBC)

The hardest hit areas appear to be the southwestern edges of Nova Scotia and all along the Atlantic coastline.

Weather in the region is expected to get warmer, according to Environment Canada. A  warming trend is set to begin Sunday, followed by rain, windy and mild conditions on Monday. However, the long-range forecast shows temperatures are expected to fall back below freezing on Tuesday that could be trouble for road crews and drivers.

Weather warnings across P.E.I. and Nova Scotia were lifted Saturday.

For New Brunswick, Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement, as the low-pressure system bringing warmer temperatures to the rest of the Maritimes is expected to bring a mixed bag of snow, ice pellets, freezing rain and rain on Monday. 

"Precipitation ahead of this low will likely begin as snow for much of [New Brunswick]," the weather service said. "The snow is expected to change over to ice pellets and freezing rain, and then finally to rain as temperatures warm."

Friday's weather forced Halifax Metro Transit buses and non-emergency police vehicles off the roads. Bus service in the Halifax area resumed Saturday, with a few routes remaining in transit snow plans

Tractor-trailers collide

There were reports of a few cars off the roads.

Many sidewalks were snow covered and difficult to navigate Saturday morning. (Cassie Williams/CBC)

The most notable was the shutdown of Highway 104 between Havre Boucher and Tracadie Friday night after two tractor- trailers collided. One of the drivers received minor injuries.

The road remained closed Saturday morning, with traffic being rerouted onto the snow-covered Route 4. 

The Nova Scotia communities of Shelburne and Yarmouth received more than 19 centimetres of snow, with much of the rest of the province receiving about 20 centimetres. The North Shore and northern Cape Breton received the least amount of snow  between five and 10 centimetres.

Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick also received between five and 10 centimetres. 

With files from The Canadian Press