A severe windstorm in Atlantic Canada has left thousands in the region without power as temperatures dip to frigid levels.
As of Wednesday evening, NB Power was reporting 13,881 customers in New Brunswick without electricity, primarily in the northeast part of the province and in the area surrounding Moncton.
The provincial utility is hoping to have electricity restored to most of the province tonight, but some areas might not have power until Thursday morning.
鈥淲e've had to have our crews stand down because of winds and the buckets moving so much,鈥� Marc Belliveau, spokesperson for NB Power, told CTV Atlantic. 鈥淚t's been a very windy day throughout the province as everyone knows and it's causing challenges everywhere. 鈥�
In Nova Scotia, 2,985 customers were without power as of Wednesday evening, compared to 160 in P.E.I. and at least 1,400 in Newfoundland and Labrador.
for the entirety of Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland, along with parts of eastern New Brunswick and the Gaspe region of Quebec as wind gusts have reached as high as 130 kilometres per hour in some areas.
The federal weather agency is also expecting temperatures with the wind chill to dip to as low as -22 degrees Celsius in some regions.
Earlier Wednesday, the weather turned deadly as a woman who stopped to help someone stuck in a ditch near Havelock, N.B. was struck and killed.
"I don't think it's a stretch to say that the road conditions and the weather is a definite factor,鈥� said Riverview RCMP Sgt. Patrick Tardiff.
The wind is also causing some headaches for those travelling as the airports in Halifax and St. John鈥檚 reported several delays and cancellations throughout the day.
The Confederation Bridge, which connects New Brunswick and P.E.I., was closed for much of the day as well.
Marine Atlantic cancelled their ferry service between Cape Breton and Newfoundland for the day. Officials anticipate further delays on Thursday.
With files from CTV Atlantic and with a report from CTV Atlantic鈥檚 Kate Walker
