Snowstorm, high winds causing problems across N.B.

New Brunswickers are digging out from a massive overnight storm that dumped as much as 35 centimetres of snow in parts of the province, causing power outages and forcing plows to be pulled off the roads.

The number of outages being reported Mondayby NB Power has dropped dramatically in the last two hours. NB Power is now reporting546 outages, down from 1,833fromearlier in the morning.

The current outages include448 in Fredericton and 89 in the St. Stephen area.

Conditions are so bad in southern New Brunswickthat Saint John Mayor Ivan Court is asking for the public's help in getting this latest storm cleaned up.

Court said city crews have been out since 3 a.m. and he expects that it will be days before things get back to normal.

"I'm asking for the public's help, as the cleanup is expected to take a couple of days, I'm asking people to please stay off the roads today unless absolutely necessary for emergencies and work," Court said.

"This has been a difficult winter for both citizens and for our work crews."

Streetsin Fredericton are not faring much better than in Saint John. The city expects it will take another 24 hours before all of the streets are cleared.

Not getting far

Once people actually clear a path to their local streets and roads, a Department of Transportation spokesman said they are having difficulty navigating very far.

Andrew Holland said the snow cleanup will take at least a couple of days because of the strong winds that have come with the snow, slowing the ability ofcrews to clear highways.

"So that means instead of being able to push the snow backwards and clearing the roads as good as we would like, we're going to have to continue making passes on our main routes," Holland said.

"So we're clearing them again and again because of the fact that the winds are just going to cause continued snow accumulation and drift on the roads."

Holland said most plows on the Acadian Peninsula have been pulled off the roads because of poor visibility and storm surges. One plow actually got stuck in the huge drifts on Monday, he said.

Holland saidmany ofthe province'sroads are snowcovered and slippery. Earlier in the morning, Holland said plows had been taken off the road in the Moncton and Fredericton areas because of poor visibility.

Along with the 15 to 35 centimetres of snowreported around the province,there arewind gusts of 50-90 km/h. There are also storm-surge warnings along the province's east coast.

N.B. streets, highways covered in snow

Ross Mathers, the general manager for the Maritime Road Development Corp., which runs the Trans-Canada Highway from Moncton to Fredericton, said on Monday morning the conditions have been described by some of the company's plow operators as the worst they've seen in a decade.

"All our plow trucks are out and 15 minutes after they go by [the roads] are filled back in by the wind and the snow," Mathers said.

Mathers said cars have gone off the road, but the wintry conditions are so bad that tow trucks can't get out of their yards. Mathers' recommendation to drivers is simple: stay home.

The streets and roads in the province's largest cities are just as bad as the highways, according to local directors.

Ron Scott, whois in charge of the plows in the northern city of Bathurst,said conditions have been worsening since he arrived at work earlyMondaymorning.

Scott said plows are being pulled off the streets becausevisibility is down to nothing.

"Until visibility improves, we can't send anybody out because there's cars stuck throughout the city and without visibility,[plow operators]can't see where they're going," Scott said.

"So it would be just dangerous."

'High wind and zero visibility'

Scott said plows have been placed at locations throughout the city in case there is an emergency vehicle that has to get through.

He is asking people to stayhome until conditions improve and streets are plowed. Scott said it takes about eight to 10 hours to clear all of the streets in Bathurst once plows get on the road.

Mike Coster, the public works supervisor in Moncton, said white-out conditions are greeting anyone daring to go outside.

"A good 20 [centimetres] are down right now and we are expecting a lot more. It's high wind and zero visibility," Coster said.

Dylan Gamble, the manager of streets and roads in Fredericton, said "it's a no-brainer" that people need to stay home for now. Gamble said the snow is causing problems but "the winds are killing us here."

Shayne Galbraith, the city works director in Saint John, said the southern city is not battling the high winds like Moncton butthat doesn't mean the driving conditions are any better.

"There is a lot of snow down, so if people don't need to be out, I'd caution... [them]to not be out if they don't need to be," he said.

"And leave a little earlier if you do need to be out."

RCMPasks drivers to stay home

The RCMP is urging people to stay home until conditions improve.

Sgt. Claude Tremblay saidif people stay off the roads, it means officers can concentrate on real emergencies.

"The roads are mostly not open and you're[driving] at your own risk. We're having enough trouble to answer to emergency calls already and that is a priority," he said.

"But for someone who decided to go out anyways and get stuck in the snow in the ditch and wants help, it would be quite difficult for the RCMP to answer the call. Don't forget, they drive cars like you do, we don't have special equipment."