HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A fierce winter storm that hit Canada's Maritime provinces this weekend had more than 25,000 customers without electricity Tuesday, utility officials said.
Various reports indicated Nova Scotia was hardest hit by the storm that blew in Sunday with Category 2 hurricane-force winds of more than 100 mph along the south and east coasts, the Canwest News Service reported.
The provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland were also affected with power outages, closed highways and bitterly cold temperatures, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
The Chronicle-Herald newspaper in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said more than 100,000 customers lost electricity Sunday through Monday and said more than 100 repair crews were out working on downed poles and lines.
The CBC said virtually all of Canada was feeling the effects of winter, which officially began Sunday. The normally balmy Pacific coast communities of British Columbia has been experiencing sub-freezing temperatures and snow, the prairie provinces are in their second week of Arctic temperatures, as the southern cities of Toronto and Montreal were also digging out from weekend snowstorms Tuesday.
