‘I’m sick of the snow’: Hundreds flee Halifax ahead of winter storm

HALIFAX – Hundreds of Haligonians are patting themselves on the back as they escape the Maritimes ahead of a blustery winter storm.

On Saturday, travelers packed the Halifax Stanfield International Airport for March Break trips and headed for warmer destinations such as Peru, California and Europe.

Katrena Thomas and Ella Jollymore, who are students from King’s-Edgehill School in Windsor, N.S., are heading to Peru to hike the Inca trail with their classmates.

“I’m really excited to get away from the snow,” Thomas said. “I love winter but I’ve had enough now.”

“We’ve been waiting for this for so long and winter feels so long … this year.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm really excited to get away from the snow," Thomas said. "I love winter but I've had enough now."</p><p>"We've been waiting for this for so long and winter feels so long … this year."

Jollymore agreed with her classmate and said it was good fortune that they were leaving a day before 30 centimetres of snow is expected to drop on Nova Scotia.

“I’m sick of the snow at this point,” she said.

“I’m really excited about the warmth.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm really excited about the warmth."

It was a similar story for the Newell family. Blake Newell is a student at Fanning Education Centre in Guysborough County, and a group of students are going to Germany, France, Amsterdam and Belgium as part of a school trip.

“I think we’re pretty lucky to be getting ahead of the cold chill,” Blake said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I think we're pretty lucky to be getting ahead of the cold chill," Blake said.

His mother Michelle and father Alen are accompanying the students as chaperones. The parents said they are lucky to get away from the winter blast.

“It’s a good break to get away and [we’re] hoping when we get back, a lot of [the snow will] warm up and melt on us. Fingers crossed,” Alen said with a laugh.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a good break to get away and [we're] hoping when we get back, a lot of [the snow will] warm up and melt on us. Fingers crossed," Alen said with a laugh.

Lenore McKinnon and her young daughter are only going to Montreal, but McKinnon said that is good enough for her as the storm prepares to barrel down on Nova Scotia.

“We feel sorry for a lot of our friends [who are hoping to travel Sunday],” she said. “We’re so excited. We’re glad we don’t have to travel in the snow.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We feel sorry for a lot of our friends [who are hoping to travel Sunday]," she said. "We're so excited. We're glad we don't have to travel in the snow."

The snow will undoubtedly be a headache for travelers on Sunday, but it may also compromise a hockey tournament in Cole Harbour.

The Joe Lamontagne Memory Tournament includes more than 3,000 players on 152 teams from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I.

The tournament at Cole Harbour Place began Saturday and the first portion runs until Monday.

Co-chair Mike Boivin said games will continue to be played Sunday unless HRM closes the arenas.

“Hopefully the teams can make it. If they don’t, we’ll have a real problem,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Hopefully the teams can make it. If they don't, we'll have a real problem," he said.

Boivin said that if the arenas are shut down due to the storm, games that are scheduled for Sunday will have to be forfeited. He adds that it may not be possible to re-schedule them since the tournament must end on Monday to stay on schedule.

“It would really affect [things] because if the games don’t get played, the teams have come a long way without having to be able to play a game of hockey.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It would really affect [things] because if the games don't get played, the teams have come a long way without having to be able to play a game of hockey."