Keep digging: Monday's blizzard forces more closures into Tuesday
Tuesday marked by closures and delayed openings as province digs out from more than 75 cm of snow
Many schools and business remained closed on Tuesday after a powerful blizzard swept through New Brunswick on Monday, leaving more than 75 centimetres of snow in some parts of the province.
The snowstorm forced the provincial government to restrict public roads in southern and central New Brunswick to emergency vehicles on Monday night.
Road crews were busy Tuesday clearing highways and streets, and many New Brunswickers woke up to massive snowbanks left behind by the blizzard.
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An overnight parking ban has been declared in Saint John's south/central Peninsula as of 11 p.m. on Tuesday until 7 a.m. Wednesday. Any vehicles remaining on the street during those hours will be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.
The storm cleanup has also caused many school districts to cancel classes for another day.
All schools in zones three to nine in the Anglophone West School District were closed Tuesday, including:
- Florenceville-Bristol, Bath, Centreville, Hartland, Woodstock
- Canterbury, Nackawic, Burtts Corner, Millville, McAdam, Harvey
- Stanley, Boiestown, Doaktown
- Greater Fredericton area (including New Maryland, Keswick Ridge, Nashwaak Valley)
- Oromocto, Geary, Burton, Lincoln, Fredericton Junction
- Chipman, Minto
- Cambridge-Narrows, Gagetown
The Francophone South school district was closed with the exception of Ècole Régionale de Baie Sainte-Anne and Carrefour Beausoleil.
All schools in the Anglophone North school district were open Tuesday, with the exception of schools in the Rexton area.
Mount Allison and the University of New Brunswick's Saint John campus were for a second day.
St. Thomas University and UNB Fredericton opened at 11:30 a.m.
Travel conditions improve
RCMP Sgt. Chantal Farrah said crews received 75 calls from drivers stranded in their vehicles across the province on Monday.
Some of the vehicles had multiple family members inside who had to wait for tow trucks to come and get them out.
Felicia Murphy, spokesperson for Brun-Way Highway Operations,which maintains the Trans-Canada Highway between Longs Creek and the Quebec border, and the highway from Woodstock to Houlton, Me., said roads were slippery with snow-covered sections.
"It's OK to travel on the highway today but take your time … there's still a lot of cleanup to do and it's going to take some time to push back that snow," she said.
Norman Clouston, the general manager for the MRDC Operations Corp., said road conditions from the Fredericton area to Moncton were mostly fair to good, but there were still whiteout conditions on the last eastern stretch of highway, about 50 to 60 kilometres.
"We're still requesting people avoid travel on that last section of highway," he said.
Mike Walker, the manager of roadway operations for the City of Fredericton, said crews were out all day Monday during the blizzard and overnight.
The main streets in Fredericton have been cleared, but it's going to take a few more hours to get every street cleared in the capital city.
"If you're going to go out take it easy," he said.
"It's very icy when the plows go by.'
As of 1 p.m., more than 200 power outages still remained in parts of the province, the majority in Charlotte County.
Tuesday's weather
Gusty winds were expected to continue blowing snow around this morning.
The storm will gradually move towards the northeast throughout the day with the snow dwindling to flurries across eastern New Brunswick by afternoon, said CBC meteorologist Brennan Allen.
"Winds will remain quite strong, with gusts between 50 and 80 kilometres per hour out of the northwest in many areas," Allen said.
"This will cause continued blowing and drifting snow."
Skies were expected to clear for most of New Brunswick on Tuesday with a mix of sun and cloud on the way on Wednesday.
Don't get too comfortable
Another storm is expected to move in Wednesday night into Thursday.
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Fredericton and southern York County.
There will be a disturbance from the west and the development of another low pressure system over the Gulf of Maine late Wednesday. This system is expected to cross into the Maritimes on Thursday.
"This storm will not be nearly as intense as the last but looks like it will drop significant snow, particularly in eastern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island."
Allen said about 15 to 25 centimetres of snow is expected for eastern New Brunswick, along with strong winds. Reduced visibility and blowing snow are also a concern.
New Brunswick forecast
Northern New Brunswick
Today: A mix of sun and cloud with winds from the north near 15 km/h and a high of –6 C.
Tonight: Skies will clear with winds becoming light by morning and a low of –18 C.
Wednesday: Expect a mix of sun and cloud with a chance of flurries and a high near –4 C.
Fredericton and area
Today: Expect a mix of sun and cloud today with blowing snow early. Winds will be from the north at 20 km/h, gusting to 40 km/h with a high near –5 C.
Tonight: Skies will clear and winds will become light by morning with a low of –15 C.
Wednesday: A mix of sun and cloud is on the way with a chance of flurries and a high near –3 C.
Southern New Brunswick
Today: Snow and blowing snow will taper to flurries with accumulations of 3 to 6 cm in the southeast, a mix of sun and cloud in the southwest. Winds from the north will decrease to 30 km/h, gusting to 50 km/h with a high of –5 C in the southwest, –9 C in the southeast.
Tonight: It will be partly cloudy with a chance of flurries and winds from the north at 20 km/h, gusting to 50 km/h and a low of –12 C.
Wednesday: Expect a mix of sun and cloud with a chance of flurries and a high near –2 C.