A slow-moving Nor’easter is bringing steady snow, extreme cold and gusty winds to the Maritimes Monday, and the messy conditions are expected to last for at least another day. Weather alerts In New Brunswick, yellow snowfall warnings are in place for southern parts of the province. Twenty to 30 cm of snow is expected to fall until early Tuesday morning. Higher amounts may be possible along the Fundy coast. “Snow is expected to ease off slightly this morning before intensifying again tonight. Strong winds gusting up to 50 km/h today will give reduced visibilities in blowing snow over open and exposed areas,” the warning reads. “There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic. Visibility will likely be reduced at times.” Special weather statements are in effect for central New Brunswick, where up to 20 cm of snow is possible before tapering off Tuesday morning. A special weather statement is also in place for Prince County, Prince Edward Island. Up to 20 cm is possible, along with northerly wind gusts from 40 to 60 km/h. “Light snow will persist through the day before intensifying this evening. Strong winds tonight and into Tuesday will likely give reduced visibilities in blowing snow,” the statement says. “A snowfall warning has been issued for Kings and Queens counties.” The yellow snowfall warning says up to 25 cm of snow is possible for those areas of the island, along with northerly wind gusts up to 60 km/h. Yellow snowfall warnings are also in place across Nova Scotia where 20 to 35 cm is possible, along with wind gusts of 50 to 70 km/h. Environment Canada says the winter storm warning that was once in effect for southwestern areas of the province has been downgraded “as the threat of blowing snow is now greatly reduced in that area.” School closures All schools in Nova Scotia are closed, except some in the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education which are dismissing early. Some schools are closed in New Brunswick, while schools on P.E.I. are dismissing early. A full list can be found here. Other closures The province of Nova Scotia says government offices are closed due to weather conditions. All Halifax Regional Municipality municipal offices delayed opening until noon. Municipally-owned and operated recreation facilities are closed. The Halifax Public Gardens are closed. Due to ongoing weather conditions, all branches and departments of Halifax Public Libraries will remain closed for the day. Both the Halifax Shopping Centre and Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth, N.S., delayed opening until 1 p.m. The opening of all CFB Halifax properties (including Shearwater) was delayed until 12 p.m. Due to weather conditions, production work for day shift was delayed until 10 a.m. at all Irving Shipbuilding sites. Power As of 2:15 p.m., there were 13 active outages in Nova Scotia affecting 77 customers. There are currently no outages in New Brunswick and one in P.E.I. Travel Many flights at Charlottetown Airport and Halifax Stanfield International Airport are delayed or cancelled. Some flights at Saint John Airport, Fredericton International Airport and Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International are cancelled. Bay Ferries has cancelled the following Fundy Rose sailings for Monday: The 9 a.m. Saint John departure for Tuesday has been revised to 11 a.m. Due to adverse weather conditions, Marine Atlantic says the following sailings for Monday are now cancelled: The 11:45 a.m. crossing from Port aux Basques to North Sydney has been delayed to 1 p.m. The ferry service says schedule impacts are possible for the following Tuesday sailings: Halifax-area residents are being asked to avoid all non-essential travel while cleanup efforts are underway. Snow routes for Halifax Transit buses will be in effect. Passengers should expect delays and allow extra time to arrive at their destination. Access-a-bus service will also be delayed. There are currently no impacts to Halifax ferry service. Kings Transit in New Minas, N.S., delayed starting service until noon. Saint John Transit buses are operating, however, due to road conditions, there may be delays and/or detours. The New Brunswick RCMP says travel is not recommended on Route 1 from St. Stephen to Rothesay due to deteriorating road conditions. Snow crews in Saint John have been out plowing non-stop since the first bit of snow began to fall. Saint John Public Works Director Tim O’Reilly says 35 street plows and another 11 sidewalk plows are tackling the falling snow. He admits this latest dumping will likely take multiple days to properly clean up. On top of the prologue nature of the storm, which makes street clearing a challenge, O’Reilly says the cold temperatures are another element crews are dealing with. “Salt works until about -10 degrees Celsius and we have temperatures below that,” O’Reilly says. “We’ve had to switch to more of a salt/sand mix and it’s going to take a bit longer for that salt to activate and get right down to bare pavement.” The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DTI) says crews are working to ensure roads are cleared, however the department is advising motorists to avoid driving until the snow has passed if possible. “DTI and its partner operators urge drivers to adapt to changing weather conditions by reducing speed, increase following distance and give snow removal crews the appropriate space to operate safely on our highway,” reads an email to CTV News from DTI. ‘Important to slow down’ The continue falling of snow not just in Saint John, but around parts of the Maritimes is making driving difficult. CAA Atlantic spokesperson Julia Kent says the best thing people can do on a day like Monday is avoid driving all together but says the best thing people can do to prepare is have proper snow tires. She also advises drivers to take their time, and notes the posted speed limits on roads are for when conditions are perfect. “It’s really important that you pay attention to that posted speed limit and cut it in half,” Kent says. “Go slow, allow for sooner stopping distance, especially with a car in front of you, it’s really important to slow down.” Kent also advises drivers have half a tank of gas, a charged phone, and an emergency kit that includes blankets and perhaps a small shovel in their vehicle before hitting the road in case an accident, or the weather, causes delays in travelling. Waste collection Curbside collection of solid waste for Monday in the Halifax Regional Municipality is rescheduled to Saturday. Residents are being asked not to place waste curbside until the morning to allow for snow clearing operations. Parking ban The overnight winter parking ban will continue to be enforced in both Zone 1 – Central and Zone 2 – Non-Central in the HRM, from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Tuesday. Vehicles must be off municipal streets during those hours. “Regardless of the status of an overnight winter parking ban, or whether you have received a notification, vehicles can be towed, day or night, at any time of year, if they are interfering with snow-clearing operations,” reads a municipal release. The municipality said police issued 507 parking ban tickets on Monday night. Officers also seized 11 vehicles under the Motor Vehicle Act for impeding snow removal. Canada Post Canada Post says a red delivery service alert has been issued for Nova Scotia. There are no deliveries in Nova Scotia Monday due to “severe winter conditions.” Red delivery service alerts have also been issued for parts of New Brunswick. There are no deliveries in Saint John and Sussex due to heavy snowfall. “We encourage customers to clear the snow and ice from their walkways, stairs, and driveways, to ensure safe access to the front door for both their visitors, as well as their mail carriers, when service resumes,” reads a post on X. With files from CTV Atlantic’s Avery MacRae.
