Not a white Christmas but a wild wind one

Strong winds caused damage and disruptions

Winds gusting 88 kilometres an hour were churning up the water at Lobster Rock Wharf in Yarmouth on Dec. 25.

It wasn’t a white Christmas but the wind certainly made it a wild one.

Christmas day had started out with freezing rain, with cars and the roadway coated with ice. But it is the wind that came later in the day that people will associate with Christmas 2017.

The damaging winds – which Environment Canada had warned would gust from 90 km/h to 110 km/h – knocked out power to tens of thousands of people on Dec. 25. According to the Nova Scotia Power outage map the morning of Dec. 26 there were still 1,273 active outages affecting 49,168 customers (and that number climbed higher). Many of the outages were in Yarmouth and Shelburne counties.

Power crews worked around the clock and were able to restore power to some by Christmas day evening in Yarmouth County after areas lost power in the early afternoon. By then many affected people had postponed Christmas suppers or come up with alternate meal plans or cooking methods. People were cooking turkeys in camping trailers and on barbecues, while others opted for sandwiches and cheese and cracker plates instead.

Nova Scotia Power reported on Dec. 26 that it had more than 650 people working across the province to restore power, with almost 400 frontline personnel, and more than 250 support staff.

For some areas in the region and province, power was not restored until two or three days later, given the overwhelming amount of repair work required.

A WEATHER BEATING

On Dec. 25, fishing harbours and shorelines looked like the open ocean as waves churned. Downed trees blocking roads were a common occurrence as the wind snapped trees in half. Shingles and siding were blown off some houses and businesses.

The Environment Canada station at the Yarmouth Airport recorded wind gusts of 86, 87 and 84 km/h over a three-hour period on Monday, Dec. 25, with those happening between 3 and 6 p.m. Other areas of Yarmouth County, however, reported much higher gusts.

At the Baracco Point Environment Canada weather station wind gusts of 102, 117, 115 and 109 km/h were recorded between 2 and 5 p.m. on Dec. 25, as sustained winds were in the in the low to mid-90 km/h range.

Here’s a sampling of comments people were sharing on Dec. 25 to the Yarmouth Vanguard Facebook page in describing the weather:

• Nicole Caux: “Part of my sis’s tree in Hebron fell. Praise the Lord A power pole in Wedgeport, Yarmouth County, was snapped by the winds on Dec. 25. just missed our car. Top of another tree in Hebron leaning on wires.”

• Lynette and Jason Foster: “Power is out in Wedgeport with a broken pole and many trees down.”

• Valerie Amiro Belliveau: “Power out in East Pubnico. Trees down, power and phone poles broken, transformers blowing. Barns collapsing. Wharfs are taking a beating.”

• Rhonda Amirault Townsend: “Power has been out since 2:30 p.m. On Cape Island a lot of trees down. Seen shingles off houses, wires down. Wild day that’s for sure!”

• Christina Watkins: “We live on the harbour on the Grove Road and had 3 glass window panels break. Our swing blew off its hinges and blew into the house. Right in the midst of turkey dinner making!”

Other people described how they were taking things in stride.

• Tom Boudreau: “Mother and I played cribbage under kerosene lamps for a dollar a game, and ended up even when power came back on.”

• Chantel Cunningham: “No power Rocco Point. Thankful for generator and woodstove.”

• Winona Pierce: “Despite the high winds and a flickering of the lights, my apple pies and butter tarts are done and a load of laundry got finished. Now to read a book and relax for the evening.”