Parts of Atlantic Canada once again pummelled by winter storm

ST. JOHN’S, Nfld. – A winter storm has once again swept into Atlantic Canada, forcing school and service closures and dumping more than 20 centimetres of heavy, wet snow on Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital city.

It seemed there was nowhere to put all the snow as shovellers in St. John’s worked to clear knee-deep drifts blanketing their front stoops Monday morning.

The night before, many shelves in the city’s grocery stores were growing bare as residents stocked up on meat, bread and other basics in preparation for up to 50 cm, as per Environment Canada’s warnings.

In a social media post tracking snowfall by 8:30 a.m., meteorologist Rodney Barney said 24 cm had fallen at the St. John’s International Airport, where arriving and departing flights were cancelled well into the evening.

At least four storms have forced closures, delays or early dismissals at metro-area schools in St. John’s, N.L., since Dec. 1.

In Nova Scotia, the provincial government cancelled its annual Groundhog Day event at Shubenacadie Wildlife Park with the ever-popular Shubenacadie Sam because of the forecast.

The province’s main power provider also activated its Emergency Operations Centre as Cape Breton braced for up to 25 cm of snow by Monday afternoon.

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Amateur observers with the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network reported snowfall totals reaching 26 cm at the eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia on Monday morning. Another station reported 19 cm near St. Ann, N.S., in central Cape Breton.

Observers in the Halifax area reported between nine and 12 cm of snow, with similar amounts north of the city.

Environment Canada said the messy weather in Nova Scotia was expected to clear up by Monday afternoon. Central and eastern Newfoundland, however, would not be so lucky.

An orange-coloured winter storm warning remained in place for the Avalon and Burin peninsulas, as well as the Clarenville region, in eastern Newfoundland. Environment Canada issues orange warnings when significant damage or disruption is possible because of severe weather.

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Up to 30 cm had fallen by late morning, and another 20 were possible by Tuesday morning, the weather agency said. In some areas, that snow was expected to dissolve into rain.

Parts of central Newfoundland could see between 20 and 30 cm of snow on Tuesday, Environment Canada said. The island’s southern coast, from Burgeo to Ramea, could be battered with winds gusting to 100 kilometres an hour.