Bridge restricted as wind warnings issued for all 3 P.E.I. counties
CBC
For the third time in two weeks, Prince Edward Islanders are dealing with wind warnings.
Wind warnings were also issued on P.E.I. the last two Mondays.
Environment Canada issued a wind warning for Queens and Kings counties early Thursday morning, with Prince County added at 10:53 a.m. AT. Gusts are expected to continue through Friday morning.
CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland noted that the temperature dropping below freezing after a wet Wednesday is also an issue.
"Surfaces are icy and blowing snow is possible with today's strong wind, so drivers should be cautious, particularly for exposed areas," said Scotland.
Maritime Electric was reporting more than 2,200 customers without power at 9:15 a.m., but the number had fallen to below 1,000 by noon.
At Charlottetown Airport, the wind forecast was 60 km/h with gusts to 90, with those winds easing, though only slightly, in the early morning hours of Friday. Travellers and people picking up arriving passengers are advised to check the FlyPEI.com site before heading to the airport.
Traffic restrictions were put in place at Confederation Bridge at about 4:30 a.m. Winds on the Northumberland Strait are not expected to ease below the restriction criteria until some time overnight.
As of noon, winds measured on the bridge between P.E.I. and New Brunswick were gusting over 110 km/h.
Northumberland Ferries has stopped operating for the winter season, so there were no ferry runs to Nova Scotia to be disrupted.
That wasn't the case with the CTMA ferry to the Magdalen Islands.
"Because of weather conditions, the ferry scheduled to depart from Souris at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, will be postponed to Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, at 10 a.m.," the company posted Thursday morning. "All reservations have been automatically transferred to this new departure."
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