Truck lands in water in Rustico as storm bears down on P.E.I.
A pickup truck went off the road on Route 6 in the Rustico area as it headed south toward Oyster Bed Bridge Friday afternoon and landed in the water as a winter storm hit the Island with heavy snow.
"The truck left the road and went across the wharf and landed in the water with the back of the truck still on the wharf," said RCMP Sgt. Leanne Butler.
"There are slippery roads here now and at this time we are unsure exactly what occurred, but that is where the truck ended up."
When roads are snow-covered and slippery, Butler added, motorists must slow down Butler added.
"People really should adapt to those conditions."
The driver managed to escape the vehicle without injury.
"He's very lucky, he wasn't injured at all, and he managed to get out of the truck without going into the water," said Butler.
Storm warning in effect
Environment Canada's winter storm remains in effect for the entire Island as a low-pressure system bears down from the southwest.
"Hazardous winter conditions are expected," reads Environment Canada's weather alert. "Significant amounts of snow are expected."
Government closed civil service offices across P.E.I. Friday afternoon citing "current and pending weather conditions." Those offices joined schools and many businesses that didn't open or have shut their doors as a winter storm began to lay down an expected 30 to 40 cm of snow along with high winds.
UPEI and Holland College also closed for the day.
Snow is expected to taper off overnight, said the weather agency, but blowing snow could still be an issue Saturday morning.
"Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow. Poor weather conditions may contribute to transportation delays."
Kings County also faces a risk of freezing rain and ice pellets mixed with Friday's snow, said CBC meteorologist Kalin Mitchell.
Friday evening winds are forecast to blow from the north 30 km/h gusting to 50 km/h, changing to northwest 40 km/h gusting to 60 km/h after midnight.
The Confederation Bridge is warning that high winds that are projected to reach gusts of 100 km/h could result in traffic restrictions.
Airlines have issued travel advisories for P.E.I., and the Charlottetown Airport is advising travellers to check with airlines before heading to the airport. Some flights were delayed or cancelled as the storm hit on Friday.
The weather is expected to improve Saturday, with some sun and a high of –5 C in the forecast, but there's still a chance of flurries Saturday night and a 60 per cent chance of snow again on Sunday.
