Winter storm wallops Maritimes, closing most schools

MostMaritimers woke up Monday to a deep blanket of snow from a storm that knocked out power for thousands and kept many at home from work and school.

Many parts of Nova Scotia received more than 30 centimetres of snow after the storm arrived Sunday, with some northern areas reporting 45 or more centimetres, according to EnvironmentCanada.

Harsh conditions began clearing in southwestern regions of the province Monday morning, but continuedover the eastern mainland and Cape Breton Island.

Classes were cancelled for schools and post-secondary institutionswhile many businesses and government officesalso closed their doorsfor all or part of the day.

• Full list of Nova Scotia cancellations

Strong winds, in some areas reaching nearly 100 km/h, createdsnowdrifts and whiteout conditions on some roads. Police and municipal officials across the province urgedpeopleto avoid unnecessary travelandto make way for snow plows.

Power outages caused by the storm peaked mid-morning with more than 10,000 Nova Scotia Power customers affected. That number had dropped below 5,000 by noon. As of9 p.m. AT, fewer than 100 customers were still in the dark.

The snow is expected to stick around at least until mid-week as a cold, dry air moves in, said CBC meteorologist TinaSimpkin.

New Brunswick andP.E.I.

Environment Canada hadall of Prince Edward Islandunder weather warnings Monday as it warned of heavy snow and wind gusts up to 80 km/h. Charlottetown saw the most snow 36 centimetres while other parts of the island received between 12 and 33 centimetres.P.E.I. schools were also closed for the day.

• Full list of P.E.I. cancellations
• Full list of New Brunswick cancellations

New Brunswick avoidedthe worst of the storm, with only the southern region of the province under a snowfall warning Monday morning.Some schools closed or hada delayed opening.

The heaviest snowfall was southwest of Fredericton in the Harvey area,where35 centimetres of snow was recorded, according toEnvironment Canada.