High winds delay weekend travel plans in the Maritimes

Saturday, October 10, 2015, 3:55 PM - A very blustery day on the east coast has delayed those hoping to get an early start on their long weekend travel plans in parts of Atlantic Canada.

Many people trying to get to their destinations in time for Thanksgiving dinner have been left stranded by multiple travel restrictions and cancellations across the Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador.

On Saturday, traffic on the Confederation Bridge between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick was restricted from around 7 a.m. until about 2:30 p.m. local time.

Automobiles towing trailers, motorcycles, high-sided vehicles including trucks, tractor trailers, recreational vehicles, and buses were restricted from crossing the busy, two-lane bridge due to strong winds gusting up to 95 km/h.

A travel advisory was in place prior to the height of Saturday's winds, which began to die down by the afternoon.

Cold, windy conditions on land were just as choppy out on the water.

Marine weather warnings are in effect due to strong, gale force winds along the Atlantic shores, including the Bay of Fundy, the Northumberland Strait, the Cabot Strait and Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore.

As a result, Marine Atlantic and Nova Star Cruises were forced to cancel ferry crossings throughout the day on Saturday, including a route from North Sydney in Nova Scotia to Port aux Basque in Newfoundland.

Wind gusts surpassing 110 km/h prevented a Nova Star boat from entering port in Yarmouth until late afternoon.

Both companies are hoping to resume regular boat services on Sunday.

Northumberland Ferries also cancelled several crossings on Saturday. 

The company typically makes about seven trips between Caribou, Nova Scotia and Wood Islands, P.E.I. as per their weekend schedule. 

An afternoon of wicked winds meant that only a handful of scheduled crossings were available through the evening hours, when the worst of the wind was expected to subside.

Though wind warnings across the Maritimes have been dropped, alerts remain in place for into parts of Newfoundland and Labrador heading into Saturday evening.

Wind warnings are issued when there is a significant risk of winds causing damage. "West to southwesterly winds gusting to 110 km/h can be expected late this afternoon and evening as a very intense low pressure system moves north of Newfoundland," reads the agency's official wind warning. "Damage to buildings, such as to roof shingles and windows, may occur. Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage."

Cold temperatures, rain and even snow have accompanied strong winds across the Atlantic region, but conditions are expected to improve slightly by Monday.

Source: CBC | CBC | CBC

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