All public schools in Nova Scotia were forced to close on Wednesday as a result of a persistent winter storm.
The school closures were announced early Wednesday morning ahead of the storm that’s expected to bring as much as 35 centimetres to some areas.
READ MORE: Storm Watch 2020: Closures and Cancellations
All university campus in Halifax also announced their closure, as well as St. Francis Xavier University and Cape Breton University.
Nova Scotia Community College’s Metro, Cape Breton, Annapolis Valley, Cumberland, Kingstec, Lunenburg, Pictou and Truro campuses are also closed.
Several other Halifax businesses were forced to close, as well. For a full list, click here.
Snowfall warnings remain in effect for the eastern half of the province and Cape Breton, while a special weather statement has been issued for the rest of the province.
Strong northerly winds are expected to reach up to 70 km/h later in the day.
Nearly 800 Nova Scotia Power customers in Halifax’s south end were briefly in the dark Wednesday morning, but the outage has since been restored.
A Halifax Transit bus has collided with a power pole on Oxford Street, near Coburg Road. The bus had to be towed away.
Multiple Halifax Transit bus routes were placed on snow plans in the morning due to snow-covered roads and slippery conditions. Halifax Regional Police is motorists to drive with caution and be patient.
The Halifax Regional Municipality has activated its overnight parking ban to allow crews to properly clear the streets and sidewalks. The ban will be enforced from 1 a.m. until 6 a.m. Thursday.
The city is asking motorists with parked cars on the side of the road to move them, as they’re getting in the way of snow-clearing operations.
“Residents are asked to think before they park,” said HRM spokesperson Brendan Elliott in a news release. “If motorists believe their cars could impede efforts to clear the streets, then alternative parking arrangements should be made.”
Cape Breton Transit pulled its buses from the roads just after 11 a.m.
READ MORE: More snow to hit Nova Scotia during midweek storm: Environment Canada
Canada Post suspended its mail delivery for the day in the Halifax area. It is advising residents in other parts of the province that they may not receive their mail, or it may be delayed.
Residents on the eastern side of Newfoundland are stilling digging out from a storm on Monday and Tuesday that dumped more than 40 centimetres of snow on the Avalon Peninsula.