Dangerous driving conditions as blizzard bears down on Maritimes

CTV Atlantic: N.S. shuts down as blizzard slams The first winter storm of 2014 brought blowing snow and whiteout conditions to the Maritimes, resulting in countless cancellations.

A nasty winter storm slammed the Maritimes on Friday, cancelling flights, interrupting public transit services and shutting down government offices, universities, and shops.

A blizzard warning remains in effect in Halifax. Official snowfall numbers have yet to be released but some areas saw more than 30 cm of snow, causing headaches for city snowplows, along with temperatures that feel like -25 C, with the wind.

Blowing snow and strong winds resulted in whiteouts and dangerous driving conditions. Plow operators undertook the frustrating task of clearing snow, only to have wind-whipped drifts quickly build back up.

CTV’s Todd Battis says the snow is light and blowing around easily with the winds.

“This is the kind of stuff you get on the Prairies,” he told Canada AM while holding up a handful of flakes.

“And the reason we’re getting that is because it’s just so dry. This is not wet snow. The temperatures are just so low here on the East Coast that we’re getting that dry, fluffy stuff.”

Halifax’s Stanfield International Airport reported a number of delays and cancellations. Flight delays and cancellations were also reported in Charlottetown and Moncton.

Officials at Dalhousie and Saint Mary's universities and Université de Moncton decided to shut down their campuses for the day.

Blowing snow and whiteout conditions are making for treacherous driving on many Maritime roads and police are urging motorists to stay off roads.

Halifax police have received several reports of motorists stranded on snow-covered roads and say it is important that drivers adjust their driving habits for the conditions.

Metro Transit pulled its buses off Halifax-area roads Friday afternoon and service will remain suspended until 5 a.m. Saturday. Ferries remain in operation, however.

A winter parking ban will remain in effect from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday in Halifax.

Two of the region's largest shopping malls - the Halifax Shopping Centre and Mic Mac Mall - closed at 1 p.m. due to the storm.

All NSLC retail stores in the Halifax Regional Municipality, the Annapolis Valley and South Shore also closed their doors at 1 p.m.

"It's a doozy," said Halifax Mayor Mike Savage. "A lot of Halifax just didn't open up this morning."

There were reports of local flooding along Nova Scotia's Atlantic coast near Liverpool due to higher-than-normal water levels and heavy, pounding surf.

Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick were under blowing snow warnings Friday. Residents of P.E.I. were told to expect a wind chill of about -30 C, while in New Brunswick, it felt like -40 C with the wind.

A blizzard warning is in effect for parts of Labrador as well, where between 25 and 50 centimetres of snow is expected by Saturday morning and where the wind chill is expected to make it feel like -45 C.

Meanwhile, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality is wondering how it’s going to keep clearing out the snow, as it has already spent half of its snow-removal budget with three months of winter left to go.

The SPCA in Nova Scotia is also appealing to pet owners to make sure their animals are kept inside or provided with shelter. This comes after a dog was found frozen to death in North Preston just before Christmas.

The storm has been blamed for at least 13 deaths in the northeastern United States. The heaviest snow fell north of Boston, where almost 60 centimetres had piled up by the time the storm moved out on Friday.

With files from The Canadian Press