Posted:
Monday, Jan. 26, 2015 (Halifax, NS) – The Halifax Regional Municipality is encouraging residents to heed weather warnings for tomorrow’s storm and plan their travel accordingly for the next 24 to 36 hours.
Environment Canada has issued a blizzard warning for all of Nova Scotia. Forecasts are calling for between 20 and 30 centimetres of snow starting in the early morning hours of Tuesday. Some areas may also see as much as 20 millimetres of rain, accompanied by strong gusting winds that could cause whiteout conditions.
The municipality suggests keeping a close eye on the weather and road conditions throughout the day tomorrow, and to consider postponing non-essential travel plans. Less traffic also makes it easier and safer for crews to clear and salt the streets and sidewalks.
Municipal and contracted crews are on standby for when the snow begins. Staff will monitor weather forecasts and conditions into the evening and overnight, and will dispatch resources as required to clear the streets and sidewalks. They will continue clearing through the day and night Tuesday, however it’s expected that the evening commute will be treacherous.
If conditions warrant, municipal offices and customer service centres may close on Tuesday, and municipal recreation programs could be cancelled. Residents should call ahead to the office or facility to confirm before heading out. In the event of such closures, the municipality will issue a Public Service Announcement and provide updates on Twitter via @hfxgov and online at www.halifax.ca/snow.
Halifax Transit staff will be assessing the weather and the impact on service starting early tomorrow morning, prior to the beginning of the service day. Updates on individual bus routes will be available by following @hfxtransit on Twitter, which is also streamed online at http://www.halifax.ca/transit. If there are impacts on all Halifax Transit service, the public will be alerted through Public Service Announcements, on Twitter via @hfxtransit and @hfxgov, and on Halifax Transit’s website.
The municipality will not be enforcing the overnight winter parking ban this evening, as snow is not expected to start in the Halifax region until about 5 a.m. Tuesday. Further updates will be provided later on Tuesday morning.
Curbside collection of garbage, organics, and recyclables is cancelled for tomorrow, Jan. 27, and will be re-scheduled for this Saturday, Jan. 31. Residents are reminded to place their waste materials curbside the evening prior to collection day or by 7 a.m. on collection day to ensure service, as collection times may vary.
The following Solid Waste facilities will also be closed tomorrow, due to the forecasted bad weather:
Otter Lake Waste Processing & Disposal Facilities at 600 Otter Lake Dr. Materials Recycling Facility at 20 Horseshoe Lake Dr. Composting Facilities at 80 Gloria McCluskey Ave. in Burnside and 61 Evergreen Place in Goodwood All of these facilities will be open regular operating hours on Saturday, Jan. 31.
For more information on municipal clearing operations, municipal service standards and more, please visit www.halifax.ca/snow. Residents can also call the Citizen Contact Centre at 311.
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