Another winter storm has carried a mixture of wet snow and freezing rain into Canada’s Maritime provinces, resulting in power outages and several flight cancellations.
Environment Canada had warned earlier this week that Maritimers should expect an encore storm, after a different weather system coated the region with snow and rain on Thursday.
The new system, which churned into Atlantic Canada from the U.S. state of Maine, was expected to dump between 15 and 30 centimetres of snow over parts of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
But it’s Nova Scotia that’s expected to bear the brunt of the blustery weather, as the storm carries a mixture of snow, rain and ice pellets into the province. Forecasters say much of the snowfall tapered off on Sunday morning, but the prospect of blowing snow and wind was a problem.
The wind gusts downed some hydro lines. About 1,000 customers in western Nova Scotia and another 1,500 in central areas of the province were without power Sunday afternoon.
In New Brunswick, about 1,400 people were waiting for their power to be restored in Bouctouche mid-day, while about another 1,500 were in the dark in Moncton, Sackville and Shediac Sunday evening.
Meteorologist Andy Firth noted in an interview with the Canadian Press that although the snowy weather morphed into rain as the day went on in Halifax, the precipitation is expected to turn back into snow later in the evening.
Travel advisories
An online departure board for Halifax Stanfield International Airport glowed red with several cancellations Sunday morning and afternoon, indicating that a number of domestic flights -- including ones to Saint John and Charlottetown -- would no longer be taking off.
The Halifax airport had issued an online advisory that warned about the inclement weather. Travellers were advised to consult with their airline and double-check their flight status before leaving home.
Further up the Atlantic coast, St. John’s International Airport also posted several flight delays and cancellations. A number of the grounded planes were travelling to Halifax.
The low-pressure storm system is expected to intensify as it churns eastward up the Maritime coastline and crosses into Newfoundland and Labrador on Sunday evening. Environment Canada predicts the snow will carry heavy snow and strong winds into the province, resulting in poor road conditions.
The agency predicts the storm system will move out to sea on Monday night.
South of the border, the U.S. Northeast is digging out from the latest blast of winter weather.
Up to a foot of snow fell in parts of southern New England earlier this weekend, while six to 12 inches of snow fell in Rhode Island, eastern Connecticut and eastern Massachusetts.
Some reprieve came Sunday morning when the snow tapered off, leaving only strong winds behind.
Another storm system that formed over the mid-U.S. during the holidays was blamed for at least 15 deaths as it wreaked havoc on roadways and knocked out power to thousands.
That same system pushed into Canada on Boxing Day, blanketing the nation’s eastern provinces with a cocktail of snow and rain. For some cities like Toronto, it was the first significant snowfall of the season.
