N.B. news: Bathurst hit by snow

Northern New Brunswick residents weren’t surprised they had to shovel out Wednesday morning; if anything, it’s something they expected weeks ago.

“We got really spoiled with the nice weather and like I was saying to my co-workers at work, we’re going to get the snow right after Christmas, and that’s what I expected and that’s what I got,” said Patrick LeBlanc who was clearing his driveway out on Wednesday.

“It’s the first snow storm that we’re getting and it’s pretty heavy snow,” he added, but he wasn’t upset at all to see it finally hit the region.

The Bathurst area woke up to a long list of cancellations, including schools, banks and many locally businesses.

However, there were still a handful of places that remained open, including gas stations.

“I had to work today, but I don’t mind, gives me a little chance to come outside, clear the snow and it makes the day go fast,” said Amanda Kaye. “It’s normal. There’s not much you can do about it. I mean, honestly I don’t mind the snow because I like it for the insulation around my chicken coop so it kind of keeps the chicken a little warmer and I got to test out my brand new winter tires.”

Heavy snow hit Bathurst, N.B., on Jan. 10, 2024. (Source: Alana Pickrell/CTV News Atlantic)Overall, many seemed to welcome the first major snowfall and for some, the latest weather system is a hopeful sign for what the rest of winter can bring.

“We have another 10 centimetres coming on Saturday and I think another 10 on Tuesday or Wednesday so that’s going to be great,” said Curtis Bennett, president of the Nepisiguit Sports Lodge.

He says when it comes to snowmobile trails, this is exactly what they’ve been looking for.

“It’s going to be awesome. Our groomers will be setting out in the morning to start grooming trails. I’m sure there’s people booking motels for this weekend already, so that’s going to be really nice,” he said.

The Nepisiguit Sports Lodge has roughly 400 kilometres of trails and around 1,500-to-2,000 members each year, so Bennett says there are a lot of people who have been waiting for winter to finally arrive.

“We need at least a foot of snow for our trails that are on the roads and our trails that are in the woods, we probably need another foot on top of that, but the ground is frozen this year which is very nice and it’s going to make it a little easier,” he said.

While the snow was a welcomed sight for many, it did bring several weather alerts throughout the day, including a special weather statement in the morning, a winter storm warning and a storm surge warning. 

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