Greg Agnew/Times & Transcript
This pair of workmen decided to take a shortcut yesterday morning near a path in downtown Moncton only to find that the snow was a lot deeper than expected
Atlantic Canada hit hardest by snowstorm
Metro Moncton has been nailed with 165 cm this season, more than four times the amount we had at this time last year
THE CANADIAN PRESS Published Thursday January 3rd, 2008
FREDERICTON - As residents of Atlantic Canada dug out yesterday from the fourth winter storm in a week, the man considered Canada's unofficial weather guru said it appears Mother Nature is repeatedly taking aim at the region.
"Every storm born in the United States or anywhere over North America, whether they be Alberta Clippers or Colorado Lows, Texas Depressions, or whatever, seem to leave the continent via Atlantic Canada," said David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada.
In Fredericton, snow piles are nearing the bottom of stop signs in some neighbourhoods.
"It's crazy," said Sebastien Godin as he shovelled a path to the street from his home. "It hasn't snowed like this in a long time."
The latest storm dumped at least 20 centimetres of snow over southern New Brunswick, northern Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, but high winds quickly sculpted massive snowdrifts almost 60 centimetres deep.
According to Phillips, Moncton has received 165 centimetres of snow -- that's more than four times the amount recorded at this time last year.
In Halifax, during the month of December, there were only five days in which the port city was free of any snowfall.
"By Jan. 1, you typically have only seen about 27 per cent of your annual snowfall, and to think, my gosh, we may still be in store for three-quarters of what might normally get," said Phillips. "That would probably drive people south."
A wind advisory was issued for the Confederation Bridge, which links P.E.I. with New Brunswick. The 13-kilometre span was temporarily closed to all high-sided vehicles in the afternoon as the storm tightened its icy grip.
The high winds and blowing snow forced police to close a section of the Trans-Canada Highway near the border between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
The low, flat area known as the Tantramar Marsh is notorious for hazardous driving conditions during winter storms.
"There have been some accidents on the New Brunswick side of the border and that coupled with poor driving conditions led us to close the highway," Const. Andrew Clarke of the Cumberland RCMP told the Amherst Daily News.
"It's zero visibility out there. It seems to get worse the further west you go."
The poor conditions forced the closure of some businesses, universities and colleges and kept flights grounded or delayed for much of the day in Moncton, Charlottetown, Halifax and St. John's, N.L.
As the storm descended on western Newfoundland, police reported a series of accidents in the Wreckhouse area -- a stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway notorious for high winds.
At least three tractor trailers and a number of smaller vehicles were stuck in drifting snow. And the Marine Atlantic ferry that links Newfoundland with Nova Scotia was to remain in Port aux Basques, N.L., until the weather cleared.
Meanwhile, residents of Central Canada were still cleaning up Wednesday in the wake of their New Year's Day encounter with the massive storm.
Ontario Provincial Police reported more than 300 accidents Tuesday. Most of the mishaps were single-vehicle accidents on slippery roads.Environment Canada forecaster Ella Ross said the cold is expected to stick around until the weekend, then rise to 10 C by next week.
So far Toronto has received 65 centimetres of snow, compared with just two centimetres at this time a year ago.
While the snow continued to fall in Eastern Canada, the West was enjoying more seasonable conditions.
165 cm of snow so far!
