Nova Scotia hit by closures, power loss in wake of storm
People in Nova Scotia spent much of Monday cleaning up and coping after being hit by severe weather that brought snow, freezing rain and winds that at times reached hurricane strength.
Nearly 84,000 customers in the province were without power on Monday, most of them in Yarmouth, Shelburne, Colchester, Pictou, Inverness and Richmond counties.
Nearly 15,000 customers in the Halifax area were without electricity, including Fairview, Armdale, Burnside, Eastern Passage and Lower Sackville.
Nova Scotia Power crews were working to restore electricity but 100 km/h winds made the task difficult. Hurricane-force winds of up to 120 km/h were recorded in Yarmouth County early Monday morning.
Margaret Murphy, spokeswoman for NSP, said crews won't be able to restore power in some areas until Tuesday evening. "We're certainly asking for customers' patience today," Murphy told CBC News on Monday.
"Our crews have worked throughout the night and they are primed to restore to power for customers as soon as it is safe to do so," she said.
Whiteout conditions forced transportation officials to close a portion of Trans-Canada Highway 104, between Exit 4 on South Albion Street in Amherst to the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border. The highway was reopened around noon but empty tractor-trailers were prohibited from travelling on the road.
Traffic along the Seal Island Bridge at the base of Kelly's Mountain in Cape Breton was reduced to one lane after high winds hit the side of a transport truck, turning it sideways on the bridge.
RCMP in Halifax urged motorists to use extreme caution on the highways Monday morning. Police said the high winds and blowing snow had reduced visibility while parts of the highway remained snow-covered and icy.
Provincial government offices in Cumberland County remained closed Monday due to the storm. Many other provincial government offices throughout the province were also closed due to the power outages.
There were more than two dozen flight cancellations at Halifax International Airport as well as a dozen flight delays.