HALIFAX — Tens of thousands of Maritimers lost power early today as a messy and blustery mix of freezing rain, ice pellets and strong winds moved through the region.
New Brunswick Power reported more than 91,000 customers had lost power as of 6 a.m. local time, while 12,000 customers in Nova Scotia were also without electricity.
Freezing rain pelted much of northern New Brunswick, resulting in some school closures and midday closure announcements at several universities.
Environment Canada also issued a freezing rain warning for parts of Nova Scotia, as the mix of rain, slush and ice pellets made driving hazardous in some parts of the province.
The rain and freezing rain also prompted police in Prince Edward Island to urge people to either stay off the roads or slow down to cope with poor driving conditions.
In downtown Halifax, strong easterly winds brought gusts of close to 100 kilometres per hour early in the morning, scattering construction debris on downtown streets and resulting in power outages in parts of the city.
The Department of Transport in New Brunswick said there were slushy patches on the Trans-Canada highway from the Quebec border to Grand Falls, and from Grand Falls to Woodstock travel wasn't recommended due to the treacherous conditions in the morning.
The Mounties issued a no-travel advisory on Route 95 from the Woodstock area to Houlton, Maine.
In Moncton, public transit schedules were cancelled with plans to update the situation by mid morning.
Environment Canada also predicted the storm would move north and bring freezing rain and heavy rainfall to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Schools throughout the Southwest Coast and Stephenville were closing for the morning, some for the entire day due to impending ice storm.
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