The Global Warming Polar Vortex strikes again
Via CBC
The Maritimes are in full-out blizzard mode, but forecasters say the worst is yet to come for parts of Nova Scotia.
Sean Irvine, the director of provincial operations for EMO Nova Scotia, said people should stay home for the brunt of the spring blizzard.
He said the peak of the storm is now rolling into Halifax and the eastern part of the province.
“We’re looking at 10 to 15 centimetres an hour for the next couple of hours. People have to be wary not to get caught out in the wrong spot and then all of a sudden there’s 15 to 30 centimetres of snow that falls very quickly and they’re trapped,” Irvine said.
“Another thing is nightfall is coming in another few hours and we don’t want people stuck out somewhere dangerous after dark where it’s hard to get to them.”
Irvine said winds and rain could cause icy conditions, proving difficult for first responders.
The province has all but ground to a halt.
The Cobequid Pass is closed due to poor visibility. Highway 104 between Oxford and Amherst is also closed.
Schools are closed in parts of Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and New Brunswick. A number of businesses and offices sent their employees home.
More than 17,000 Nova Scotia Power customers were in the dark. The utility said it will likely take until 11:30 a.m. AT on Thursday to fix the outages. A warming centre has been set up at the fire hall in Lockport.
Preparations for the storm began early, with airports in the region cancelling dozens of flights in anticipation of whiteout conditions forecast by meteorologists.