March madness

Spring gives Cape Breton the cold shoulder as major storm dumps 20 cm

The seasons may have changed, but Mother Nature was still in winter mode as she blanketed Cape Breton with a major snowstorm on the first official day of spring.

The storm that hit the area in the early hours of Monday morning deposited more than 20 centimetres of snow, forcing school cancellations and business closures across the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

The larger-than-expected snowfall also left roads and streets in poor conditions as municipal and provincial plows

struggled to clear the busiest thoroughfares first before hitting

the side streets.

The heavy accumulation also meant area residents once again had to utilize brushes, brooms, snow blowers and shovels to free their vehicles from the snowy clutches of the spring storm.

But not everyone seemed to mind.

Retired Sydney residents Bill and Viola Seymour, who were found leisurely clearing snow from their car at their Ranna Drive house, said they’ve been around long enough not to worry about an early spring storm.

“This is Cape Breton, this is what happens here — a little snow is nothing,” said the 83-year-old Bill, who stated that the latest snowfall was relatively light compared to the snow he grew up with in his native Newfoundland.

Added Viola: “We’ve been in this house for 50 years and I remember walking to town over giant banks of snow, it’s just what we did, there seemed to be

more snow back in those days.”

In the south end of Sydney, Avery Skeete was found negotiating the snowy and slushy streets on his bicycle.

“It’s a bit slippery, but it’s not too bad — not a bad way to start spring,” he said.

Environment Canada ended its heavy snowfall warning for Cape Breton by late Monday morning, but quickly replaced it with a freezing rain warning as a low-pressure system moved slowly across Nova Scotia in a

north-easterly direction. The warning stated that freezing rain was expected to persist until this afternoon and was likely to contribute to transportation delays due to icy, slippery and hazardous highways, roads, walkways and parking lots.

Meanwhile, the cancellation of classes in the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School district meant an extra day off for students, who just enjoyed a week off for the March break.

Along with schools, classes

were also cancelled on Monday at Cape Breton University and at all Cape Breton campuses of the Nova Scotia Community College.. Canada Post pulled its letter carriers off the streets, Cape Breton Transit did not operate, and Cape Breton Post newspapers deliverers were delayed. Many businesses also remained closed for the day, while the Mayflower Mall did not open until Monday afternoon.

“It’s a bit slippery, but it’s not too bad — not a bad way to start spring.”

Avery Skeete

DAVID JALA/CAPE BRETON POST It may have been the first day of spring, but that didn’t stop a winter storm from dropping more than 20 cm of snow across parts of Cape Breton. Sydney resident Bill Seymour, 83, said he’s been around long enough to know that “a little snow is...

DAVID JALA/CAPE BRETON POST A heavy snowfall of more than 20 cm may have left many Cape Breton residents grumbling about having to dig out on the first day of spring but others like Avery Skeete embraced the weather. Above, the Sydney resident makes his way along a snow-covered...

DAVID JALA/CAPE BRETON POST Cape Breton residents woke up to a snowy first day of spring on Monday after a winter storm dumped more than 20 cm of the white stuff in parts of the municipality. The snowfall forced cancellations across the CBRM and left streets and roads difficult...