Thousands of Nova Scotia Power customers were left without service Thursday afternoon, as a powerful storm brings heavy rain and strong winds to the province.
As of 3:30 p.m., the utility’s power outage map shows 353 active outages right across the province. At one point, more than 41,000 customers were affected.
Many of those outages are in the Halifax Regional Municipality area.
The majority of the province remains under rainfall and wind warnings. Environment Canada said wind gusts of up to 90 km/h were expected in the Halifax Metro area.
The winds are expected to “gradually” diminish over central areas of the province during the afternoon and over eastern areas in the evening.
In Halifax, the high winds led to the closure of the MacKay Bridge to high-sided vehicles.
As well, Halifax Transit suspended ferry service temporarily.
Halifax Regional Police were advising pedestrians and drivers to be cautious, after receiving multiple reports of loose debris and safety hazards. Many intersections were without power as well, police noted.
“We are advising the public, if they are able, to stay off the roadways at this time,” HRP said in a release.