Halifax schools closed, power outages due to freezing rain

Freezing rain prompted cancellations and closures around the Halifax Regional Municipality on Friday.

Environment Canada issued warnings for rainfall, wind, freezing rain and higher than normal tide levels. Halifax was expected to receive five to 15 millimetres of rain throughout the day.

Many people in Halifax woke up Friday morning to find icy and slippery roads and sidewalks.

The majority of flights to and from Halifax Stanfield International Airport were cancelled. The airport advised passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.

Travel Advisory: Most flights cancelled or delayed this morning due to icy winter conditions. Pls check flight status before you come to the airport today and give yourself extra time to arrive. #nsstorm

— Halifax Stanfield (@HfxStanfield) February 7, 2020

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education closed all of its schools and offices due to the road conditions.

Feb. 7, 2020: All HRCE schools and offices are closed today. More details on today’s decision are posted at https://t.co/5G1dGv6Y43 Please RT

— Halifax Regional Centre for Education (@HRCE_NS) February 7, 2020

NSCAD University, Nova Scotia Community College, Mount Saint Vincent and Saint Mary’s universities were closed. Dalhousie and the University of King’s College were closed for Munro Day and King George III Day respectively.

Nova Scotia Power reported several outages Friday morning affecting thousands of customers, including in the Kearney Lake area, Gottingen Street and the Quinpool district.

Outages peaked around noon, with 28 active outages affecting over 18,000 customers in the province.

Halifax Regional Police urged motorists to use caution while driving due to the icy road conditions.

The roads are slick. Motorists, drive to conditions, take extra precaution to use turn signals and watch for pedestrians. Drive with caution, slow down and give space between yourself and the road user ahead of you. Clear your windows and vehicle.🚔❄️🚸 pic.twitter.com/GD65R5Ff91

— Halifax_Police (@HfxRegPolice) February 7, 2020

Halifax Transit had detours in place on some bus routes, but lifted them in the afternoon.

The afternoon runs of Route 415 will return to regular routing. https://t.co/ppxOEMwvNT

— Halifax Transit (@hfxtransit) February 7, 2020

Environment Canada projected wind gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour Friday evening and overnight into Saturday. High winds can cause damage to trees and property.