Many schools in Nova Scotia are closed today and transit buses have been pulled off the road as a strong nor’easter blows through the region.
All schools in the Halifax, South Shore, Strait, Chignecto-Central and Cape Breton-Victoria regional centres for education are closed.
Schools in the Tri-County Regional Centre for Education in Yarmouth and Shelbrune are closed, although those in Digby remain open. Bus drivers are using their discretion in the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education.
Many schools within Conseil scolaire acadien provincial are also closed.
Halifax Transit has pulled its buses off the road until at least 8 a.m. local time.
WATCH | Nor’easter blow through Halifax
Winds whipped up snow Tuesday night in Halifax, creating hazardous road conditions.
Provincial government offices in Halifax Regional Municipality will delay opening until 10 a.m. Offices in Cape Breton Regional Municipality and Richmond, Victoria, Inverness, Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough counties will delay opening until at least noon.
A handful for flights have been cancelled at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
CBC meteorologist Tina Simpkin said the storm was moving into Newfoundland Wednesday morning, but heavy snow continues to fall in eastern Cape Breton.
She said winds will remain high throughout the day, which will no doubt blow the freshly fallen snow around.
When dealing with snowfalls of any size, the Nova Scotia Department of Public Works has specific strategies and equipment to get the job done.
A notification sent to Halifax Regional Municipality’s mass notification system Tuesday evening warned there were “many accidents and delays” in the region.
“Road conditions have deteriorated very quickly in HRM causing many accidents and delays. Please avoid traveling this evening if you can,” said the message sent to subscribers of hfxALERT.
In an update posted to X on Tuesday night, Nova Scotia’s Department of Public Works said several tractor trailers were stuck on Highway 102.
Poor visibility
RCMP also cautioned on X that roads and highways were covered with snow and visibility was poor in many parts of the province.
“Exercise extreme caution and avoid unnecessary travel,” it said.
Halifax Ground Search and Rescue was checking in on people living in tents. It was also offering to take people to emergency shelters to ride out the storm.
The nor’easter comes a week and a half after a historic storm dumped 150 centimetres of snow in the Sydney area, and between 40 and 90 centimetres elsewhere in the province.
Some people in Cape Breton remained snowed in their homes for days, prompting the province to ask for help from the federal government.
WATCH | Ryan Snoddon explains the latest storm to hit the province:
Meteorologist Ryan Snoddon says snow and blowing snow is expected to linger into Cape Breton on Wednesday.
