Spring is here, but that doesn’t mean the winter weather is over, especially on the east coast.
Southern areas of Newfoundland, particularly areas along the coast, are being hit by a strong winter storm, with some expected to experience several hours of snowstorm before the storm clears Saturday afternoon.
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By early Saturday morning St John’s had already received nearly 20cm of snow (18cm east; 19cm at airport) while 29cm was reported in Kilbride. Peak overnight gusts were excessive in some areas, with 132 km/h in Cape Pine, 124 km/h in Green Island and 92 km/h in St. John’s.
Wind resulted in blowing snow and reduced visibility.
Stormy southeast wind, with gusts from 70-90km/hwill shift east-northeast throughout the day on Saturday.
Blowing snow will ease in most areas on Saturday morning as temperatures rise above zero, but winds remain fairly gusty.
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“Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve. If visibility is limited while driving, turn on your lights and keep a safe distance,” advises ECCC in the winter storm warning issued for St. John’s and the surrounding area.
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When conditions finally settle into a calm Saturday evening, 20-30 cm of snow will have fallen over the Avalon, as well as 15-20 cm for Bonavista, Clarenville and the Burin Peninsula.
More snow to end the weekend
This won’t be the last storm Atlantic Canada faces this weekend.
A flagging system tracking from the Great Lakes to central Quebec and a developing low off the coast of England will make its way into Nova Scotia and bring widespread snow to the Maritimes late Saturday night through Monday morning.
Snowfall totals are expected to be in the 5 to 15 cm range for most of Nova Scotia, with up to 20 cm for Cape Breton and 15 to 20 cm for much of New Brunswick and 5 to 10 cm for PEI
Thumbnail courtesy of JLaC/Twitter.
Keep checking back with The Weather Network for more Atlantic Canada forecast updates and information.
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