Maritime storm kills three

A severe winter storm that swept through Eastern Canada with heavy snowfalls, high winds and freezing rain this weekend claimed three lives and knocked out power for thousands across the region.

An 83-year-old man was found dead Sunday afternoon outside his home in Cornwallis, N.S., RCMP confirmed Monday morning. Sgt. Gordon Hay said that the unnamed victim is thought to have been caught outside overnight Saturday during the depths of a storm that deposited up to 40 centimetres of snow throughout Atlantic Canada.

In Three Fathom Harbour, about 30 kilometres east of Halifax, a 54-year-old man died and a woman was hospitalized Sunday after they succumbed to carbon monoxide fumes from a generator they were using in their home during a power outage.

Police said the woman was able to call 911 around 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Both were rushed to hospital, where the man died a short time later.

In the wake of the incident, RCMP were reminding the public to only use generators in well-ventilated areas, and to install carbon-monoxide detectors to warn of lethal levels of the colourless and odourless gas.

In P.E.I., meanwhile, a woman died after being hit by a snow removal vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Stratford, near Charlottetown, shortly after noon Sunday.

The woman, whose name was being withheld until next of kin have been notified, was immediately transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital but later died as a result of her injuries.

More than 20,000 Islanders were without power at some point during the weekend, Maritime Atlantic reported, with winds hitting 102 kilometres per hour near Summerside.

In New Brunswick, nearly 10,000 customers remained without power Sunday, according to the province's power utility, NB Power. By Monday morning, however, with crews working around the clock, power had been restored to all but 1,200 residents, most of whom were in the Sussex area of southeastern New Brunswick.

Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John, N.B., received between 20 and 40 centimetres of snow, with winds gusting up to 50 kilometres an hour during a storm that began Saturday.

In Port Elgin, N.B., a local state of emergency was temporarily declared. A huge storm surge crashed into the town, flooding homes and cottages, but all the evacuated residents were able to return home by Sunday evening.

“We're still worried about high tide tonight because it was really quite a thing,” said the town's mayor, Judy Scott. “The firemen are going to have to keep a close watch just to make sure everybody is safe.”

The town of 500, about 70 kilometres east of Moncton, is located at the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The heavy winds caused whiteout conditions, and rain and freezing rain made driving conditions treacherous.

Police across the region warned motorists that conditions would worsen as temperatures begin to drop Sunday evening and roads become icy.

Late Sunday afternoon, the state of emergency had been lifted.

Although Environment Canada said the worst high water conditions had passed, storm surges were still predicted in Cape Breton, in southwestern Nova Scotia as well as in Prince Edward Island, where forecasters were warning of pounding waves and possible coastal flooding.

All of Environment Canada's weather warnings in Atlantic Canada had been lifted by Monday morning.

With files from Global News and the Charlottetown Guardian