Winter storm wallops Maritimes, closing most schools
A cold forecast means the snow is likely to stick around through the week
Most Maritimers woke up Monday to a deep blanket of snow from a storm that knocked out power for thousands and kept many at home from work and school.
Many parts of Nova Scotia received more than 30 centimetres of snow after the storm arrived Sunday, with some northern areas reporting 45 or more centimetres, according to Environment Canada.
Harsh conditions began clearing in southwestern regions of the province Monday morning, but continued over the eastern mainland and Cape Breton Island.
Preliminary snow reports from the Maritimes. <br>Most reports were completed early this morning, so totals will need be updated where the snow continued across eastern areas, especially Cape Breton.<br>As always, big thanks to the <a href="https://twitter.com/CoCoRaHSCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoCoRaHSCanada</a> volunteers!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nsstorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nsstorm</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nbstorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nbstorm</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pestorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pestorm</a> <a href="https://t.co/klCDvC0Jb6">pic.twitter.com/klCDvC0Jb6</a>
—@ryansnoddonClasses were cancelled for schools and post-secondary institutions while many businesses and government offices also closed their doors for all or part of the day.
Strong winds, in some areas reaching nearly 100 km/h, created snowdrifts and whiteout conditions on some roads. Police and municipal officials across the province urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and to make way for snow plows.
Lots of vehicles getting bogged down in the snow this morning. On/off ramps are particularly bad, many are full of snow.<a href="https://twitter.com/CBCNS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CBCNS</a> <a href="https://t.co/jsKONemxeh">pic.twitter.com/jsKONemxeh</a>
—@PaulRPalmeterPower outages caused by the storm peaked mid-morning with more than 10,000 Nova Scotia Power customers affected. That number had dropped below 5,000 by noon. As of 9 p.m. AT, fewer than 100 customers were still in the dark.
The snow is expected to stick around at least until mid-week as a cold, dry air moves in, said CBC meteorologist Tina Simpkin.
New Brunswick and P.E.I.
Environment Canada had all of Prince Edward Island under weather warnings Monday as it warned of heavy snow and wind gusts up to 80 km/h. Charlottetown saw the most snow — 36 centimetres — while other parts of the island received between 12 and 33 centimetres. P.E.I. schools were also closed for the day.
New Brunswick avoided the worst of the storm, with only the southern region of the province under a snowfall warning Monday morning. Some schools closed or had a delayed opening.
The heaviest snowfall was southwest of Fredericton in the Harvey area, where 35 centimetres of snow was recorded, according to Environment Canada.