Today, Newfoundland and Labrador are experiencing another day of heavy rain and storms.
Winter weather alerts have been lifted for certain areas like Avalon, Burin, Grand Falls-Windsor, and Bay of Exploits, but remain in effect for central and western Newfoundland, as well as most of coastal Labrador, as per the national weather agency.
The most serious weather warnings are concentrated in the Green Bay-White Bay region, where snowfall and wind gusts reaching up to 110 km/h are anticipated until early Sunday, according to Environment Canada.
Higher elevation areas in western Newfoundland might witness over 65 centimeters of snow accumulation.
Graham MacDonald, a meteorologist at Environment Canada, noted that this December has been exceptionally active compared to previous years.
MacDonald mentioned that multiple snowstorms in December were common a decade ago but have become less frequent recently.
“It seems like this winter is making up for the milder ones we’ve had before.”
Impact on Power and Transportation
The severe weather has made driving hazardous across the province, prompting authorities to advise against travel in parts of central Newfoundland and the Northern Peninsula. In Labrador, route 510 was shut down between Red Bay and Lodge Bay on Saturday evening.
Over 3,000 individuals experienced power outages on Saturday afternoon in the Musgrave Harbour, Twillingate, and Summerford regions. While power was restored to these areas later in the day, hundreds more were left without power in other parts of the province by Saturday evening.
Marine Atlantic canceled all ferry services between North Sydney and Port aux Basques for Saturday, and numerous flights departing from St. John’s International Airport were either canceled or delayed.
‘Traditional Winter’
The snowy conditions did not deter everyone.
Linda Chaisson, Mayor of Corner Brook, highlighted that the continuous snowfall benefits tourism and the local economy, as it allows for activities like cross-country skiing. She mentioned that the Marble Mountain ski area is likely to open soon.
Chaisson stated, “Many seniors have described this as a traditional winter with daily snowfall.”
Stormy weather is expected to persist on the western part of the island until Sunday, with the potential for over 80 centimeters of snow accumulation in the Lewis Hills-Serpentine Lake area and the Anguille Mountains.
In parts of coastal Labrador, snow could transition to rain by Saturday evening.
Areas near Labrador City are under a yellow cold warning until Sunday morning, with wind chill values forecasted to be around -45.
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