Forecasters say the worst of Atlantic Canada's winter storm has passed, but that's not immediately obvious in New Brunswick, which was hit hard on Tuesday.
The same storm that left 70,000 Quebecers in the dark on Monday forced road closures, airport delays and power outages throughout New Brunswick on Tuesday, dumping 70 cm of snow in some parts of the province and freezing rain in others. Winds gusted at speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour.
The storm, which began in the Great Lakes, cut power to 1,200 people in northern New Brunswick. Roads were bad further south, where freezing rain halted traffic on the ground and in the air, leaving 400 people stranded at the Moncton airport and preventing planes from landing for much of Tuesday.
Due to already busy flights at this time of year and the high number of stranded passengers, some may not be able to get on another plane for a few days, said Air Canada clerk Claude Arsenault.
Richard Hoshino was one of those marooned.
"When we learned the flights were cancelled we ran back to the Air Canada gate and found out that the next plane to reschedule to go to Toronto was Thursday," said Hoshino, who was about to board his flight when its cancellation was announced.
Hoshino spent the day playing Sudoku with fellow traveller John Short, who was displeased but not surprised about the delays.
"This is actually the third year in a row on Dec. 27 (that) I haven't been able to get out of here," he told CTV Atlantic News.
More snow is expected overnight, and the Confederation Bridge is barring larger vehicles from crossing between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island until further notice.
Rain fell on Nova Scotia for much of Tuesday. Some areas received up to 25 mm, while more than 10 mm fell on Halifax.
Prince Edward Island saw a mix of rain and snow, with storm surges reported along the coast. A wind warning remained in effect for eastern P.E.I. for Tuesday night.
The snow then continued into Newfoundland, where it was expected to continue east, creating blizzard-like conditions with high winds and more snow.
Quebec feared the worst
After bearing the brunt of the 1998 ice storm, residents of Quebec's South Shore and Monteregie regions prepared themselves for another serious episode. Shelters were opened to help those dealing with the power loss, but few took advantage of the service.
"I'm sure people were worried it was the '98 (ice storm) all over again," said Brigitte St. Germain, who was staffing a Red Cross shelter in Beloil, which saw about 60 people show up to spend the night in one of 300 beds that were ready. "St. Hilaire was also ready for 300 people."
It took 36 hours for crews to restore power to all residents in that area, which saw clear skies sunshine on Tuesday. There are similar forecasts for New Brunswick for Wednesday.
National weather notes
Balmy weather continues in Winnipeg, after the city experienced one of the warmest Christmas weekends on record. On Dec. 25, the temperature hovered close to 0 degrees Celsius. Last year, Winnipeg had a high of -20.
Rain and warm temperatures in Vancouver have left most of the lower mainland's ski hills struggling to keep runs open in the soggy conditions.
