A local state of emergency was declared in Cape Breton, where the blizzard has paralyzed a large part of Nova Scotia.

The local state of emergency remained in effect in parts of Cape Breton on Monday morning, as Nova Scotia emerged from one of the harshest blizzards in 20 years.

On Sunday afternoon, with the stalled low-pressure system continuing to dump snow on the island for the second day, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality urged people to stay in their homes.

The municipality said in an online post: “Do not travel.” “Roads are being plowed to respond to emergencies and essential worker travel. The process is slow and plows require several passes to manage the heavy accumulation.

Photos posted on social media showed massive snowfalls over homes and outbuildings, vehicles buried and abandoned scattered across major highways, and homeowners using shovels to carve tunnel-like paths to navigate around their properties.

The Eskasoni First Nation, located about 40 kilometers southwest of Sydney, declared a local state of emergency early Monday. The band issued a statement saying it expects snowfall up to 150 centimeters by the end of the day.

The band said in an online post: “Eskasoni First Nation has exhausted all resources, as snow-removal capable vehicles in the community are stuck or unable to continue operations.”

More than 80 cm of snow was recorded in eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, but strong winds since Friday caused massive drifts that will take days to clear.

Unofficial records showed up to 150 centimeters fell in Sydney, the largest community in Cape Breton. In the Halifax area, between 40 and 50 cm fell since Friday afternoon, but 83 cm was reported at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

Dozens of flights were canceled or delayed at the region’s busiest airports, and power outages were reported for more than 7,000 cases across the province Monday morning.

Schools closed their doors, government offices were delayed in opening or remained closed all day, except in western municipalities where snowfall was much lighter.

Ian Hubbard, a meteorologist in Halifax at Environment Canada, said the strong winds over the weekend made it difficult to measure snowfall northeast of the Halifax area. For example, local communities in Pictou County reported snowfalls ranging between 50 and 100 cm.

Hubbard said the storm center stalled off Nova Scotia’s eastern coast Friday afternoon and barely shifted until Monday morning, when it began to break down.

Hubbard said in an interview: “It stopped.” “It was able to continually tap into moisture and produce a lot of snow.”

In Prince Edward Island, the by-elections scheduled for Monday were postponed to Tuesday. Tim Garrety, CEO of Elections Prince Edward Island, issued a statement saying the storm’s track shifted west overnight, causing hazardous driving conditions across the island.

Garrety said: “We want voters to exercise their right to vote, but in a safe manner.”

Nearly 20 years ago, a stronger blizzard hit the region, leading to snowfall of up to 95 cm in the Halifax area and surroundings. That storm, known as White Juan, came five months after Hurricane Juan made landfall near Halifax, bringing destructive winds of 140 kilometers per hour.

On Friday, Shubenacadie Sam, Nova Scotia’s most famous groundhog, appeared on a cloudy day, prompting his keepers to announce the arrival of spring weather soon. Light snow began later that day and continued throughout the weekend.

Temperatures rose near or just above freezing on Monday as the storm system moved away from the coast. Hubbard said weather is expected to be mild for the rest of the week, although flurries continue to move across northern Nova Scotia Monday morning.