Snow and wind strike much of Atlantic Canada, closing schools and cutting power

HALIFAX – Hundreds of thousands of people were without electricity in Atlantic Canada this morning after a winter storm in the wind, rain and snow that swept through the area, also shut down schools and disrupted travel.

Nova Scotia Power reported around 10 am that 697 outages had left 219,000 customers powerless, while NB Power reported that 172 outages had affected more than 44,000 customers.

Nova Scotia Power said in a news release that interruptions in transportation between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia had disrupted the transportation connection between the two provinces, causing outages for approximately 100,000 customers.

Maritime Electric reported 45,000 customers in Italy, while Newfoundland Power also reported several outages.

The dynamic system prompted Environment Canada to issue weather warnings in the PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

It indicates that winds could blow up to 110 km / h in the mainland of Newfoundland, where snowfall is expected to reach 25 centimeters in the center of the province.

Northern Nova Scotia was expected to receive 20 cm of snow and winds reaching gusts of up to 80 km / h before conditions improved on Friday.

The agency says the PEI's north coast could see hammered waves and waves that could cause flooding, while eastern New Brunswick could see up to 15 cm of snow and strong winds blowing up. at 80 km / h.

Schools were closed or had delayed opening hours, and ferry service between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia was canceled until the wind choked, while the Confederation Bridge between PEI and Nova Scotia limited travel.

Flights were canceled or delayed in Halifax, Charlottetown and St. John's, N.L.

Some streets in downtown Sydney are closed, but some vehicles are still testing the waters. @CTVAtlantic pic.twitter.com/GrgurWQ2dG

– Kyle Moore (@KyleMooreCTV) November 29, 2018