First winter storm of season pummels parts of Nova Scotia
A wet and snowy storm pummelled parts of the province Wednesday, closing some schools and roads and knocking out power to thousands of people.
The storm, which delivered blizzard-like conditions to some areas, brought traffic to a halt on Highway 104 between Masstown, N.S., and Oxford.
Kyle Hollingsworth, a supervisor with towing and recovery company Heavy Rescue 104, said an 18-wheeler jackknifed on Highway 104 around 4 a.m. near the Cobequid Pass toll station, blocking the lanes of traffic heading in the direction of New Brunswick.
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The incident caused traffic to back up on the highway for several kilometres.
Hollingsworth and his crew used wreckers, or heavy-duty tow trucks, to clear the truck and assist other vehicles, which were also having trouble moving on the inclined section of snow-laden highway.
"We're hooking on to trucks right as we speak, and we're going to tow them out of here one by one to the top of the hill, come back, grab the next one, keep on going," he said Wednesday morning.
Hollingsworth said his crew had been on scene since early Tuesday evening in preparation for dealing with traffic incidents.
"It's very predictable because a lot of people still have summer tires on and it’s December and they should have their winter tires on by now," he said.
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Yellow warnings
Northern parts of Nova Scotia were under a yellow warning from Environment Canada with up to 30 centimetres of snow expected. Up to 50 centimetres was expected in northern Cape Breton.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic coast of the province was expected to get hit with up to 45 millimetres of rain and winds gusting up to 80 kilometres an hour.
The storm prompted school cancellations in various regions.
On Wednesday morning, more than 19,000 Nova Scotia Power customers around the province were without electricity, but that number continued to drop throughout the day.
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This article was originally published for CBC News.