Thousands without power in N.B. after wet, heavy snowfall overnight

The first big snowstorm of the season has caused power outages and school closures around New Brunswick.

As of 9:00 a.m. Friday, about 41,000 N.B. Power customers were without electricity, with the highest numbers in the greater Fredericton and Oromocto areas. This is a slight increase from a few hours before.

Most of the outages listed on the website did not have estimated end times. A few, including those in the Chaleur region in the northeast, had early morning estimations for restoration.

D’Arcy Walsh, spokesperson for N.B. Power, said in an email that the storm resulted in wet, heavy snow, which put trees in contact with power lines.

She said crews are assessing damage and restoring power, but road conditions are also slowing the movement of crews in some areas.

“Work is underway and will continue as long as conditions are safe,” she wrote. 

Schools are closed in some districts because of the weather. 

In Anglophone West, schools in zones two to nine stayed closed because of road conditions. These zones include Fredericton and everywhere else in the district except Edmundston.

Anglophone East schools will open at their regular time, but buses will be delayed. 

Anglophone South K-8 students had a planned day off Friday, but high schools in that district will open as usual, with bus delays.

Anglophone North has closed schools in the Rexton, Miramichi and Bathurst areas, but schools in the Campbellton and Dalhousie region are open.

Francophone South has closures in Fredericton, Oromocto, Miramichi, Richibucto, Rogersville, Baie-Sainte-Anne and Saint-Louis-de-Kent.

In Francophone Northeast, schools in the Chaleur region and Acadian Peninsula are closed, but a full list can be found on the district’s website.

The New Brunswick 511 is also showing some tricky driving conditions as of 7 a.m., with some snow-covered roads in central and northern New Brunswick. Some highways in those areas are also reporting reduced visibility, according to the website.

A spokesperson for the Fredericton Police Force said in an email there has been nothing major reported Friday morning in terms of accidents or particularly bad roads, but drivers are asked to used caution.