NB Power has extra crews on standby, and schools in Anglophone South are closed today due to a severe weather system

Schools in Anglophone South cancelled Tuesday due to weather

Charlotte County – With a freezing rain, and rainfall warning, in effect, all schools in the Anglophone South School District were cancelled today (Tuesday).

Environment Canada has issued a weather warning, as an intense low pressure system near the American seaboard, slowly approaches New Brunswick today and tonight, bringing snow and ice pellets.
Snow and ice pellets began over southwestern areas this morning, and will spread northeastward through the course of the day. Precipitation will change quickly to freezing rain across the far south.

The area of freezing rain will advance northward later today and tonight, with some areas seeing a significant amount of ice accretion. Freezing rain will change to rain tonight across the southern portion of the province, but freezing rain and ice pellets will persist across the north until Wednesday afternoon.

Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways, and parking lots, will become icy, slippery, and hazardous. Ice build-up may cause tree branches to break. Utility outages may occur.
Freezing rain warnings are issued when rain falling in sub-zero temperatures, creates ice build-up and icy surfaces.
Regional Emergency Measures coordinator, Brent Whelan, notes the rain is expected to be heavy at times, and the frozen ground has a reduced ability to absorb this rainfall.

He said the snow and ice will spread from west to east, changing through an extended period of freezing rain, then to rain tonight. The rain will end Wednesday afternoon and total rainfall amounts of 25 to 40 mm are expected.

Whelan warns heavy downpours can cause flash floods, and water pooling on the roads. He urges people to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.

NB Power reports it is closely monitoring the weather system and, in addition to its regular complement of crews, has secured 50 additional crews to respond to outages in areas it anticipates will be hardest hit.

“As the system is expected to sustain over an extended period, if outages do occur, crews will respond to emergencies and larger outages to restore customers when it’s safe to do so while the storm is still in progress.”

Customers are encouraged to be prepared and have an emergency kit in their homes with essential supplies like first aid, prescriptions, water and non-perishable food. If customers lose power as a result of this weather system, they are asked to report their outages on NB Power’s website using their mobile devices.