Power outages, snow squalls, powerful gusts reported in parts of Atlantic Canada

HALIFAX – As strong winds and frigid temperatures enveloped much of Atlantic Canada overnight, pockets of power outages were reported across the region.

All public schools are closed today across Prince Edward Island.

And more than 22,000 Maritime Electric customers were without power at one point as the winds picked up, but that number was cut to about 2,200 by 10 a.m. local time.

In western P.E.I., a peak gust at 92 kilometres per hour was recorded at North Cape, and another 92 km/h gust was reported from the eastern edge of the Island at East Point.

Meanwhile, snow squall and wind warnings remain in effect across much of Newfoundland and southern Labrador, where gusts reaching 120 km/h were in the forecast for coastal communities.

In southern Newfoundland, a 125 km/h gust was recorded at 9 a.m. on tiny Sagona Island, which is south of Harbour Breton in Fortune Bay.

While New Brunswick appeared to be escaping the worst weather, the northeastern corner of mainland Nova Scotia and all of Cape Breton were dealing with snow squalls driven by gusts expected to reach between 70 and 100 km/h.

At 9 a.m., a westerly gust in western Cape Breton peaked at 102 km/h in the Acadian village of Grand Etang, an area notorious for powerful winds.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2025.