Snow, warm temperatures lead to slushy roads, collisions in Nova Scotia

Overnight snowfall and a rise to above-freezing temperatures resulted in both icy and slushy roads in Nova Scotia Friday morning.

Schools

Schools in Nova Scotia’s Lunenburg County are closed as well as Pleasant Bay School in Cape Breton.

Many school buses are running on paved roads only. A full list can be found here.

Travel

Around 1:30 a.m., the Nova Scotia RCMP said they were responding to several collisions on Highway 102.

A section of the highway was closed for more than 30 minutes while first responders attended to the scene and until road conditions improved.

Halifax Regional Police said just before 6 a.m., road and sidewalk conditions were hazardous and slippery.

They asked drivers and pedestrians to give themselves extra time and space when travelling.

There was also a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 102 inbound at Exit 1A around 7:30 a.m.

A Halifax Transit bus went off the road near the intersection of Albert Walker Drive and Dunbrack Street around 6:40 a.m.

Halifax Regional Police says there were passengers on the bus at the time, but no one was injured.

The passengers were transferred to a different bus.

Police say the crash affected traffic in the area for a brief time and weather is believed to have been a factor.

The municipality says an internal review of the incident has been initiated.

Halifax Transit said many bus routes were on a snow plan.

Marine Atlantic has cancelled crossings between North Sydney, N.S., and Port aux Basques, N.L., due to weather conditions.

The Halifax Regional Municipality said just before noon that enforcement of the overnight winter parking ban has been lifted in both Zone 1 – Central and Zone 2 – Non-Central.

“Crews are active in all areas and are applying de-icing materials. The majority of main streets are clear and passable; however, isolated icy conditions may still be present,” reads a municipal news release.

The Halifax Public Gardens are closed for snow removal and pathway maintenance.

Power

Nearly 4,000 Nova Scotia Power customers in Halifax and Dartmouth were without electricity Friday morning.

The utility said one in the Highfield area was due to a vehicle collision and one in Halifax was due to a transmission issue.

The Halifax outage cancelled Halifax Transit ferry service until 7:30 a.m.

By noon, the number of affected customers was down to 279.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page