Winter storm swamps N.S. with snow, sleet, freezing rain
Posted Jan 27, 2011 05:24:35 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Weather warnings are in place across Nova Scotia today as a low pressure system batters the Maritimes with a mix of snow, freezing rain and ice pellets.
Snowfall warnings are in effect for Digby, Annapolis, Kings, Colchester and Cumberland counties, with up to 30 cm of snow expected throughout the day.
In metro, a mix of snow and sleet has turned the streets into slushy, slippery messes and with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, meterologist Richard Zurawski says driving will be a very difficult proposition.
“The drive to work this morning will be treacherous, very slippery,” he said. “We’ve got five to 10 cm of snow that we’re expecting before it switches to rain.”
Schools have shut down across the province due to treacherous road conditions and police are warning drivers to use extreme caution on the drive in – or even find a way to stay off the roads.
“We understand it’s a weekday and people do have to go to work, but even alternative transportation like buses is a good idea on a day like this,” said Halifax Regional Police Staff Sgt. Reid McCoombs.
Some flights are already cancelled at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
The same storm is battering the United States from Tennesee to New England with schools closed and planes grounded.
About 1000 flights were cancelled at New York City’s main three airports alone.
In Washington, D-C, hundreds of thousands of customers lost electricity, as heavy snow toppled power lines.
