Massive Snowstorm Hits Antigonish

February has been a snowy month for Nova Scotia, with record-setting amounts falling throughout the province. Beginning in the evening of February 2nd, Antigonish was one of many towns hit with a large storm. The snowfall was heaviest in eastern mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, with some areas being hit with up to a meter of snow.

Along with other campuses, StFX was one of many Nova Scotia schools that remained closed throughout the snow storm. The campus was closed for four consecutive days from Saturday, February 3rd to Tuesday, February 6th. During this time, emergency services such as security and Morrison Hall remained open for students. Online classes also proceeded unless otherwise stated by the professor. In addition to StFX, Cape Breton University, Dalhousie University, Saint Mary’s University, as well as Mount Saint Vincent University were also closed at some point during the storm.

To assist with clean up, students, staff, and faculty were advised to stay off campus and avoid any form of pedestrian or car traffic that could interfere with snow removal services. In fact, the school was searching for student shovelers to assist with snow clean up, offering a wage of $18.25 per hour. Several cars in certain parking lots were required to move to make way for snowplows. Shovels were provided by Security Services for those without.

Due to the poor weather conditions, certain sports games (both home and away) were postponed and rescheduled. These games included: a women's basketball game, a men’s basketball game, a women’s hockey game, as well as a men’s hockey game.

The last thing StFX students expected following the four-day campus closure was yet another snow day. The following week, Antigonish saw more snow which resulted in two partial snow days on February 14th and 15th. On both days, campus remained closed until 11:30am. Afterwards, classes continued as per schedule.

Works Cited:

https://globalnews.ca/news/10281479/antigonish-woman-trapped-for-days-after-snow-storm/

https://globalnews.ca/news/10271529/halifax-schools-cancelled-nova-scotia-snow-storm/