Winter storm hits N.S., bringing heavy rain and high winds

A winter storm has brought heavy rain and high winds to Nova Scotia, leading to the closure of dozens of schools and warnings fromEnvironment Canada of possible flooding in low-lying areas and water pooling on roads.

The storm is moving across the province from west to east, with snow turning torain as temperatures rise, creating the risk of ice pellets and freezing rain. Up to 30 millimetres of rain is expected in some areas.

With wind gusts expected to reach up to 100 km/h, Nova Scotia Power said it had stationed crews across the province to respond to expected outages.

As of 9:30 p.m., about 2,700homes and businesses were without power. At one point in the night, there were more than 6,200 customers without power. Most estimated restoration times are for Thursday.

High winds closed the Confederation Bridge between New Brunswick and P.E.I. to all traffic.

In Nova Scotia, schools in the South Shore Regional Centre for Education were closed for the day on Wednesday, aswere those in Digby and Yarmouth counties, although schools were open in Shelburne County.

The Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Educationclosed schools on Wednesday, and the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial cancelled classes in the western and southern parts of the province on Wednesday.