Widespread storm brings mix of snow, ice and rain to N.B. - Action News
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New Brunswick

Widespread storm brings mix of snow, ice and rain to N.B.

A winterstorm has brought snow, ice pellets, rain and some dicey road conditions to New Brunswick.

Snow has already switched to rain in parts of province

A small plow on a sidewalk pushing snow
A plow clears a Moncton sidewalk after the snowiest part of the storm in that city. (Patrick Lacelle/Radio-Canada)

A winterstorm has brought snow, ice pellets, rain and some dicey road conditions to parts ofNew Brunswick on Wednesday.

The storm, which began early in the morning with snow across the province, closed all school districts. Some universities and colleges stayedclosed or delayed opening. Shelter hours in the province have been extended to 24 hours because of the storm.

Some areashave already switched over to rain, including Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton, and an advisory recommending against travel on the Trans-Canada Highway from the Quebec border to Fredericton was lifted.

While temperatures in the south were rising, possibly to a high of 9 C in places, theywere expected to stay around the freezing mark for more northern areas, where 15 to 20 centimetres of snow could fall.

High surfin northeast

Wednesday's storm coincided with high tide around 2 p.m. in the northeastern part of the province.

Eric Pelletier has lived in Dalhousie his whole life and said he hasn't seen waves at Inch Arran Beach as high as he did today.

WATCH | Here's what happens when a high tide coincides with a winter storm:

Wild winter winds cause high surf in northeast

9 months ago
Duration 0:53
Dalhousie resident Leigh Walsh captured the wild waters at Inch Arran Beach overlooking the Bay of Chaleur.

"I'm 60 and I've seen bad ones, but this was one of the top ones, it was angry.

Police in Bathurst said on social media that Bayshore Drive was closed because offlooding.

Newcomer's firstexperience with snow

KaitleenLacsamanais spending her first winter in Canada after moving from the Philippines in August.

She said she wasn't prepared for the snow.

A grinning woman wearing a hat, jacket, backpack and scarf
KaitleenLacsamana is spending her first winter in Canada and says she wasn't prepared for the Wednesday storm. (Rhythm Rathi/CBC)

"This will be the first time I'm experiencing this kind of storm," she said.

But one Moncton residentis rolling with the punches.

"I'mnever prepared and yet always prepared for the unusual," said Cecil Long. "It's just part of life."

WATCH | How Moncton is faring with today's snow, ice and rain:

Messy mix has shovels out in Moncton

9 months ago
Duration 1:47
The winter storm brought school cancellations, ice pellets and challenging road conditions to New Brunswick.

At 78, Long said he's learned how to embrace things such aswinter storms. Plus, he said, the warm winter weather has been disturbing.

And nothing is stopping Long. Heeven loves what many can't stand doing shovelling snow.

"Seventy-eightand still dancing," he said. "Come on, it's great to be alive."

Despite the blowing snow conditions in the morning, temperatures could reach9 C in some places on Wednesday, CBC meteorologist Tina Simpkin said.

A cyclist rides on snow-covered streets
A cyclist takes to the snowy Moncton streets. By early afternoon, snow was turning transitioning to ice pellets and then rain in southern New Brunswick. (Rhythm Rathi/CBC)

A Fredericton police spokesperson said road conditions in the city were deteriorating, but there were no reported collisions.

In the Saint John area, waves bashed the shore, and winds were expected to gust to 90 to 100 kilometres an hour.

The storm also brought some scattered power outages, mostly in southwest New Brunswick.

Canada Post also announced it would halt deliveries in the province because of precarious conditions.

A man shovelling his driveway
A man in Moncton shovels his driveway as snow continues to fall. (Rhythm Rathi/CBC)

Environment Canada winter storm warnings remain in place for the northern half of New Brunswick, with a storm surge warning as well for Campbelltonand eastern Restigouche.

Southern and central regions have scattered warnings for snowfall, wind and rain.The south could see heavy rain amounting to 20 to 30 mm.

A snow intersection with cars driving through it
A winter storm closed all New Brunswick schools and created hazardous driving conditions. (Gary Moore/CBC)

The province announced on Wednesday afternoon that the following shelters would be open 24 hours because of the storm:

  • Victoria Health Centre (Ironwood Resource Centre) in Fredericton.
  • Oak Centre/City Motel in Fredericton.
  • John Howard Society of Fredericton.
  • St. John House in Fredericton.
  • Grace House in Fredericton.
  • Out of The Cold in Fredericton's Small Craft Aquatic Centre (8 p.m. to 8 a.m.).
  • Lions Centre (Bridge to Home) in Moncton.
  • Harvest House Atlantic in Moncton.
  • Outflow Ministry Inc. in Saint John.
  • Coverdale Centre for Women in Saint John.
  • Beacon Cove in Saint John.
  • Out of The Cold on Somerset Street in Saint John.
  • Miramichi Adult Emergency Shelter.
  • Out of The Cold on Jane Street in Miramichi.
  • Miramichi Youth House.
  • Bathurst Emergency Shelter.
  • Bathurst Warming Centre.
  • Out-of-the-cold on Union Street in St. Stephen.

With files from Rhythm Rathi and Sam Farley