Despite signs that it is beginning to slow down, a blizzard that struck parts of Atlantic Canada on Monday has caused officials to advise residents against traveling on unsafe roads, among other warnings.
According to CBC meteorologist Brennan Allen, the storm will move away from the southwestern regions late in the evening, but is anticipated to persist into Tuesday for the eastern half of Nova Scotia, southeastern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
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Provinces in the area each reported how the blizzard has affected them:
Kalin Mitchell, a meteorologist with CBC News, confirmed that although the snow is going to weaken in the western parts of New Brunswick it will persist in the eastern parts of the province until Tuesday morning. He also estimated that some communities between Fredericton and Saint John could experience as much as 80cm of snow by the end of the weather event.
New Brunswick’s weather has reached such a point that the provincial government has resorted to restricting travel on public roads in the southern and central regions.
"Until further notice, travel on provincial highways and roads is restricted to emergency vehicles and crews from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure," the provincial government said in a statement.
Poor visibility due to high winds and blowing snow has prompted the provincial government to close off the Trans-Canada Highway.
"Snow is picking up and the wind is blowing it around, making it difficult to see," warned Fredericton roadway operations manager Mike Walker.
Coastal areas in the province also became dangerous due to the weather, with possibilities of flooding and water damage occurring overnight.
"In summary, this will be a dangerous and potentially life-threatening blizzard," cautioned Allen.
He also warned of the powerful winds generated by the blizzard.
"Winds out of the northeast will be sustained between 40 and 60 km/h with gusts between 80 and 100km/h from central New Brunswick southeastward."
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Power outage is another problem residents of NB have to contend with thanks to the weather.
NB Power indicated there were more than 1,000 customers without power, as of 6:15p.m. AT.
"We continue to closely monitor the storm system as it unfolds and respond to outages when it is safe to do so," NB Power spokesperson Marie-Andrée Bolduc said. "The main areas of concerns are high winds that could cause trees to make contact with the lines or lines to slap together."
Nova Scotia is in a similar predicament, with schools, businesses, offices, transit services and several healthcare services shutting down as a result of the blizzard. Conditions in the province are such that some areas have reported winds reaching 110km/h. Some parts of the province, like Cape Breton, could see as much as 30 to 50cm of snow by Tuesday morning, Environment Canada said. The agency also put a blizzard warning in place for the province, and several coastal areas have also been issued storm-surge warnings.
Allen noted that coastal areas in the province could experience hurricane force wind gusts of up to 120km/h.
"Travelling will be dangerous and likely impossible by car in the afternoon to evening hours," he said.
Prince Edward Island’s schools closed ahead in anticipation of the storm, CBC News reported.
- Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador are expecting to catch the remnants of the storm system, which could hit them Tuesday.
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