Nova Scotia is being hit with a massive snowstorm Monday, and snow is expected to continue falling into Tuesday.
Environment Canada is predicting that by Tuesday morning, western portions of the province could see between 30 and 60 centimetres of snow. The rest of the Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton can expect to see between 25 and 45 centimetres.
School closures:
- Halifax Regional School Board – Closed for the day. School board offices are also closed.
- Chignecto-Central Regional School Board – Closed for the day. Offices and work sites also closed.
- Annapolis Valley Regional School Board – Schools, offices and work sites are closed for the day.
- South Shore Regional School Board – Closed for the day. School board offices and work sites are also closed.
- Strait Regional School Board – Classes cancelled. Buildings are closed and support staff do not have to report to work.
- Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board – Closed for the day.
- Tri-County Regional School Board – Closed for the day.
- CSAP – Closed for the day.
University Closures
- Dalhousie University Halifax, Truro, University of King’s College – closed for the day. Officials say they will decide by 6 a.m. Tuesday if the campuses reopen for that day.
- NSCC – All campuses closed.
- Mount Saint Vincent University – closed for the day.
- Saint Mary’s University – University is temporarily closed. Classes cancelled.
- NSCAD – closed for the day.
Travel Delays
- Halifax Transit – Buses and ferries have been cancelled for Monday.
- Halifax Stanfield International Airport – Several flights cancelled, some delays, check with your airline.
- Halifax harbour bridges – Both bridges open to all vehicles.
- 100-series Highways – Many highways around Halifax are seeing blowing snow, causing poor visibility
- Canso Causeway – No closures
- Marine Atlantic – Crossings between North Sydney and Port aux Basques have been delayed until 11:45 p.m., weather permitting.
The city says the “safety of residents and employees is of utmost importance” and that cancelling transit service for the entire day will ensure that “no passengers or employees are stranded on the road, at work or at school without a safe way to get home.”
Halifax Municipal Offices
- Garbage/recycling/green cart collection – Cancelled, rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 27.
- Municipal offices, customer service centres – Closed for the day. An update on a Tuesday opening will be given at 4 p.m. Monday.
- Halifax Recreational Facilities – Closed for the day. An update on a Tuesday opening will be given at 4 p.m. Monday.
- 311 Call Centre – Regular business hours, but people are asked not to call regarding snow clearing until service time lines have expired.
- Street and sidewalk clearing – City officials are reporting snow-covered streets, with conditions expected to deteriorate.
All provincial government offices are closed in mainland Nova Scotia. Cape Breton offices are remaining open, but this will be reassessed at 11 a.m.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) has also issued information regarding surgeries and other other-related services during the storm.
Nova Scotia Health Authority
- Urgent, emergency and time-sensitive surgeries will still take place but elective surgeries have been cancelled
- Outpatient services in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and West Hants have been cancelled
- Home care visits on Monday are cancelled
- Outpatient and community mental health and addiction services are cancelled, including those at Connections Dartmouth/Halifax.
- Methadone clinics and inpatient addiction units are staying open
- Several other services have been cancelled and can be found on the NSHA website
IWK Health Centre
- IWK ambulatory clinics have been cancelled until 12 p.m. Tuesday
- Outpatient blood collection – closed for the day
- X-ray – closed for the day
- Perinatal Centre – closed for the day
- LabBreast Screening – closed for the day
A blizzard warning is in place throughout the province, with the weather service warning that very strong northeast winds with gusts between 90 and 110 km/hour will cause extensive blowing snow and frequent white out conditions.
As the storm continues, the overnight winter parking ban has been kept in effect in Halifax. Motorists are reminded not to park on municipal streets between 1 and 6 a.m., so crews can work to clear streets and sidewalks.
Nova Scotia Power said in a release Monday they have more than 380 personnel on staff, as more than 14,000 people across the province have been reported to be without power as of 4:10 p.m.. But due to weather conditions, the utility said they will dispatch staff “as soon as it is safe to do so.” Some outages on the utility’s website report some areas may not see restoration until Tuesday at 8 p.m.
“We pre-staged crews and trucks in position around the province in advance of this storm. However, we expect restoration efforts will be hampered due to high winds and blowing snow,” NS Power storm lead Matt Drover said in the release.
Government says transportation crews will be out “in full force” to keep roads as clear as possible.
“Strong winds and heavy snow are a recipe for difficult driving conditions,” Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Geoff MacLellan said Sunday. “Motorists are advised to stay off the roads if possible for their safety and to allow plow drivers to safely clear the roads.”
READ MORE: Halifax parking ban: When you can and can’t park on the street overnight
Halifax also has its winter operations crew “fully engaged,” with main streets and emergency routes the first priority, with residential areas seeing limited service. The release also said targeted times for clearing “may not be achieved,” and that it could take several days for all streets and sidewalks to be cleared.
The storm is expected to bring higher-than-normal water levels and could produce localized flooding along parts of the Atlantic Coast, with storm surge warnings in effect from Halifax south to Shelburne County. Environment Canada says waves are expected to be higher Monday evening with the chance of flooding along the entire coast near local high tide from Shelburne County to Sydney.
“The storm surge and strong winds can make the shoreline dangerous very quickly,” said Zach Churchill, Minister responsible for Emergency Management Office, in a news release on Sunday.
“I urge Nova Scotians to stay away from the coast during this storm.”
WATCH: Halifax hit with winter wallop
The Emergency Management Office is reminding Nova Scotians to be prepared for 72 hours and look after one another when the bad weather hits.
“Historically, I think that’s what Nova Scotians have done, always risen to the occasion and taken care of each other and that’s why we’re as resiliant as we are. And in this day in age, one of the other things we want to ensure is that all our devices are well charged so we can communicate with each other,” said EMO executive director Andy Lathem on Sunday.
EMO says emergency kits should contain the following items:
- a list of your personal support network including their name, relation, address, phone and cell numbers
- at least 6 litres of water per person (2 litres per day)
- food that won’t spoil, like canned and dry foods
- manual can opener
- first-aid supplies
- allergy medications and special needs or equipment you use
- a list of your prescription medicines with their prescription number and purpose
- pharmacy information
- pet care
- at least a 3-day supply of your prescription medicines
- wind-up or battery-powered flashlight
- wind-up or battery-powered radio
- batteries for your flashlight and radio
- extra keys for your house and car
- money in small bills
- copies of important papers like your driver’s license, birth certificate, and insurance policies
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