Power outages, freezing rain hit the Maritimes

Tuesday, December 24, 2013, 5:45 PM -

After disrupting power and communications for hundreds of thousands of people in Ontario and Quebec, a system of freezing rain and snow moved through the Maritimes.

All three provinces started the week off with bouts of freezing rain. Warnings were in place across much of the region, and the conditions made for a terrible drive and contributed to flight delays in the area's airports.

In New Brunswick, 8,000 N.B. Power customers were in the dark, split between St. Stephen and Rothesay, but that number rose to nearly 50,000 by Tuesday as the freezing rain continued to pass through.

NS Power reported that more than 6,000 customers remained without power as of Tuesday morning.

New Brunswick was hit with additional freezing rain on Monday night, changing to snow or flurries as the system affecting the region slowly moved west.

Hours of freezing rain hitting different parts of the Maritimes as of Tuesday morning.

By Tuesday morning, Gagetown had recorded 48 hours of freezing rain, Saint John 44 hours, Moncton 41 hours, Charlottetown 36 hours and Halifax has seen 30 hours.

ROUND TWO?

"Another system is set to bring 2-3 cm of snow along the shores of Nova Scotia and the southern shores of the Avalon beginning Tuesday," says Elena Lappo, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.

"This snow will continue into Christmas morning for some communities, especially those in Newfoundland."

While this will be mainly a snow event, strong winds could become an issue Wednesday afternoon.