HALIFAX - Despite a recent spate of storms and the resulting wave of power outages, officials with Nova Scotia's electric utility were confident the company could deal with another powerful storm that was expected to bring blizzard conditions across much of the province early on New Year's Day.
By 4 p.m. local time Wednesday, the roads in southwestern Nova Scotia were already covered in snow and Environment Canada had issued storm surge warnings for central and eastern Prince Edward Island.
The forecast was calling for snowfall amounts ranging from 15 to 45 centimetres to be driven by winds gusting between 80 and 100 kilometres per hour in some places, creating whiteouts and hazardous driving conditions.
Cape Breton was expected to receive the most snow, with up to 60 centimetres expected in some areas before it tapers to flurries Thursday.
As well, higher-than-normal water levels were forecast for the Northumberland coast of mainland Nova Scotia and northern Cape Breton.
"These high water levels combined with heavy pounding surf could give local coastal flooding during high tide later on Thursday and Thursday night," Environment Canada said.
The scenario was an all-too-familiar one for Nova Scotia Power linemen and work crews, many of whom had already logged long hours dealing with thousands of outages in the past week.
"Part of our preparation is making sure we have crews ready and, frankly, having crews rested," said utility spokeswoman Glennie Langille. "They've had a busy week."
The plan was to have fresh crews ready to go across the province, she said.
"That means deploying crews, perhaps earlier in southwestern Nova Scotia, and later in Cape Breton as the storm moves."
A combination of heavy snow and high winds left up to 60,000 Nova Scotia Power customers without electricity four days before Christmas. That was quickly followed by another round of power failures Christmas Eve that left 40,000 customers in the dark.
The latter outages were blamed on electrical arcing and short-circuits caused by a buildup of sea salt on insulators.
Langille said the strength of the winds would determine how fast power crews could get to work if the lights go out again.
"When winds reach about 90 kilometres per hour, you really can't put up bucket trucks, it's not safe for our crews," she said. "We can work in adverse conditions, but there are some conditions that can curtail that."
Sgt. Mark Gallagher, spokesman for the Nova Scotia RCMP, said the force had extra officers on standby because the storm was expected to be at its height just as New Year's Eve revellers start to head home.
"That's probably one of our biggest concerns," he said. "At this time of year, with this environment, people do, sometimes, take greater risks."
The RCMP issued a statement urging the public not to drive on the province's highways.
"It's not worth taking the risk," Gallagher said.
"Our suggestion is: don't go on the road at all. It sounds like it's going to be one of the nastiest storms this season. It's not worth putting yourself or other people at risk while you're on the highway."
The heaviest snow -- upwards of 45 centimetres -- was expected in Cape Breton.
Between 15 and 20 centimetres of snow was also expected to blanket P.E.I., while five to 10 centimetres was forecast for southern New Brunswick, with up to 20 centimetres falling in extreme eastern sections. As much as 15 centimetres was expected for portions of Newfoundland on Thursday.
Herb Thoms, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the storm's low pressure system took shape in the U.S. Midwest on Tuesday before passing through the Great Lakes Region and heading towards the eastern seaboard.
"It's going to be intensifying rather smartly and it will be hanging a sharp turn to the left, northeastwards towards Atlantic Canada," he said from his office in Gander, N.L.
Peter Spurway, spokesman for Halifax Stanfield International Airport, advised travellers to check ahead with their airlines because the storm could affect arrivals and departures well into the new year.
"Some airlines have already begun cancelling some flights," said Spurway. "There's no question that this has the potential to cause some significant disruptions."
Meanwhile, the province's Emergency Management Office issued a statement warning people to get ready for the storm by preparing emergency kits and stocking up on items such as candles and non-perishable foods.
