Windy storm whips into eastern Newfoundland
Written by on February 4th, 2012 in Latest News.
High winds lashed eastern Newfoundland and parts of Labrador Saturday, causing public services to shut down and hazardous driving conditions on roads and highways.
The fourth of its kind in eight days, the storm is not expected to drop much snow but has come with a blizzard warning because of winds that will top 100 km/h.
“The huge tale is the visibility,” Marshall Hawkins of Environment Canada’s weather office in Gander told CBC News.
“The visibilities have been drastically reduced, and you don’t want to get yourself caught in this.”
The winds were whipping up light snow that had been dumped in the week’s previous storms, with authorities warning about drifting in open spaces.
Numerous community events and services closed or were cancelled on Saturday. [MORE: Get full details from CBC's Storm Centre.] Public libraries and recreation facilities were among the casualties of the storm.
The weather caused some cancellations at St. John’s International Airport. Ferries serving Bell Island in Conception Bay were tied up.
The Avalon Mall in St. John’s, the largest shopping centre in Newfoundland and Labrador, delayed its opening on Saturday.
Metrobus, the public transit service in the St. John’s area, kept its fleet on the roads but warned passengers to expect delays.
