Brace yourself.
Another major winter storm is set to roar into Nova Scotia, just a little over a week after the last storm caused widespread damage and power outages in the province.
READ: Power finally restored to all 158,000 customers who lost service in N.S. Christmas storm
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the province, saying that long-range models agree the track of the storm will approach from the southwest and pass over central Nova Scotia on Thursday night.
“Potential impacts from this storm include possible power outages, deteriorating travel conditions or delays, and potential school disruptions,” the weather service says.
Snow is expected to develop on Thursday morning and change over to rain for some parts later in the day.
Early snowfall estimates are between 20 and 30 cm for most of the province. Rainfall amounts of 20 to 30 mm is possible for southwest Nova Scotia.
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Much like the last storm, strong winds will be a big factor.
According to Environment Canada, easterly winds with gusts of 90 km/h or more are possible on Thursday afternoon. Those winds will shift into Friday morning and become southwesterly, possibly reaching 120 km/h along Atlantic coastal areas.
The strong winds with snow will create poor visibility. As well, there is a potential for storm surges along coastal areas.
Nova Scotia Power activating emergency operations centre
In preparation, Nova Scotia Power (NSP) says it will be activating its emergency operations centre at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
The centre will be staffed with the utility’s employees, as they respond to the anticipated power outages.
“In preparation, we’re stationing powerline crews and forestry teams across the province, and we’re staffing up our Customer Care Centre,” said Matt Drover, NSP’s storm lead, in a news release.
“Based on the current track, we expect this storm to cause power outages across the province. The forecasted snow may make travel difficult, and could impede crews in early response to outages. We encourage people to monitor their local weather forecasts and make preparations accordingly.”
NSP is encouraging customers to have an emergency kit, that includes flashlights, a battery-powered radio and fresh water.
They’re also reminding people that in cases where there are multiple power outages, the utility restores power in phases. The priority will be given to critical services, such as hospitals. Larger outages on transmission lines and in substations will also be restored ahead of smaller outages, so that the greatest number of customers can have their power restored first.