High winds, rain make for messy day in the Maritimes

CTV Atlantic: Storm surge hits the Maritimes The storm surge hit high tide in the Maritimes Thursday, and while there were no reported injuries, there was some damage across the region.

The storm surge hit high tide in the Maritimes on Thursday, with waves growing up to seven meters along the Bay of Fundy.

A storm surge warning was in effect along coastal areas, with wind knocking out power for several Nova Scotia homes and businesses.

The waves also crashed over the roads in Beaver Harbour, N.B.

"It's absolutely nuts, all the debris on the road.” said Beaver Harbour resident Brian Goudey. “But it's not uncommon, we see it like this quite often."

Rain soaked much of New Brunswick, causing Saint John EMO to send a warning of caution.

"Right now, a strong surge warning is in effect for coastal areas," said Mike Carr of Saint John EMO.

Wharves were submerged and roads along the Bay of Fundy in Saint John were closed.

While most residents still had their lights on, NB Power reported outages in other parts of the province throughout the day.

The waves were as strong as the winds in Shelburne, N.S., with the tides reaching their highest point of the month at five metres.

“It's pretty incredible,” said a pair passing through Shelburne. “It's nice to stand in the wind, not the rain so much, and watch the waves.”

Fishermen spent much of the day waiting for the storm to clear.

"I don't really worry too much about the rain, just more the weather, whether we can get out to do anything or not," said fisherman Ben Johnston.

The waves caused a barge to overturn in another Saint John area.

"There was a barge that had flipped over because of the enormous waves coming in there and it was just an atrocity," said harbor authority Nelson MacKenzie.

Motorists in Moncton say the road conditions were less than ideal.

"Big gusts of wind you can see it, a lot of rain, it kind of slows you up but besides that it's just a nice day in the Maritimes," said resident Andrew Jaintner.

Cape Breton ferry crossings to Newfoundland were cancelled. Kids were sent home early from school in Inverness, N.S., as the wind whipped across the region.

Though there wasn’t much damage, there was a lot of localized flooding. Municipal crews worked ahead of the storm to reduce the risk.

“We’ve made sure our storm drains are open as best as we can because there are a lot of leaves down that can clog them,” said Will Butler with the Town of Shelburne.

Even with strong winds and heavy rains throughout the province, temperatures were mild, steady around 15 degrees.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ashley Blackford and Kelland Sundahl.