Nova Scotia's first snow storm of the season appears to be on the way Friday, and road clearing crews are being readied in anticipation.

Transportation minister Bill Estabrooks said Thursday the crews are being mobilized early to make sure highways are safe, and to ensure the province isn't caught flat-footed as it was last year when 1,200 motorists were stranded overnight on the Cobequid Pass.

Estabrooks said he's paying particular attention to that stretch of Trans-Canada Highway after it was shut down during a sudden snow storm last November.

"We're under full alert on the Cobequid Pass. We're ready across the province, from what I was told this morning at my briefing. You know, we've got 400 pieces of snow-removal equipment across the province," he said.

"The Cobequid Pass is one of the ones — because of where it's located, because it's in the interior, because it's in an elevated state — it's much like the Highlands, it's much like Mount Thom. It's going to be a tricky situation tomorrow morning. I urge Nova Scotians to call ahead, to check their own preparations for our first winter storm and let's hope it's not too bad."

Estabrooks said there were lessons learned from the mess on the Cobequid Pass last year.

The section of the Trans-Canada Highway from the toll booths to Glenholme were impassable after the sudden storm hit last Nov. 19. High winds and heavy snow created whiteout conditions. The situation was made worse when a couple of trucks jackknifed, blocking the road.