East Coast storm causes closures, outages as snow, winds sweep through region

HALIFAX – Snow and strong gusts moved through Atlantic Canada on Wednesday as a low pressure system swept in from the southwest, creating power outages, school closures and poor driving conditions.

Environment Canada issued a winter storm warning in most regions of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia by early morning, while Newfoundland and Labrador was expecting snow later in the day.

Forecasters called for accumulations of 15 to 25 centimetres of snow and winds gusting between 50 to 70 kilometres per hour, with stronger gusts along coastal areas.

Some early morning flights were cancelled and the Halifax Stanfield International Airport was advising passengers to check with airlines for potential delays.

Nova Scotia Power estimated the number of power outages at over 11,000 customers early in the morning, but the figure was dropping quickly through the day as the storm started to abate and repair crews fixed downed lines.

Marine Atlantic ferry crossings between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador were delayed until Thursday.

Schools throughout the Maritimes announced closures, while colleges and universities announced delays in classes until later in the day or closures.