Twenty-five centimeters of fresh snow has fallen in eastern Newfoundland including metro, resulting in a holiday for students and many workers.
The House of Assembly did not re-open for the first session of the 49th General Assembly today.
Provincial government offices in the St. John’s metro region will remain closed for the day. Memorial University’s St. John’s campuses, including Signal Hill and the Marine Institute are opening at 5:00 p.m..
Meanwhile in St John’s… #nlwx @590VOCM @Fred_Hutton pic.twitter.com/5swNgbc0kn
— Gerri Lynn Mackey (@GerriLynnMackey) March 2, 2020
Canada Post has issued a “red service alert” for eastern Newfoundland. That means they are suspending delivery for the day and not sending delivery agents out.
Winds whipped the fluffy snow around, reducing visibility and resulting in a few crashes including a tractor trailer which went off the TCH between Mackinsons and Whitbourne.
⚠️Pitts Memorial down to 1 plowed lane. ⚠️ Reduce your speed & turn on your headlights (if not automatic); reduced visibility so proceed with caution IF YOU HAVE TO BE ON THE ROADS, if not, stay home! #nltraffic #nlwx @VOCMNEWS @OfficialOZFM @coast1011 pic.twitter.com/4xp5mkdifI
— Krista (@KristaFagan) March 2, 2020
So far this year around 370 cm of snow has fallen. The average snowfall is 335 cm for the season, which we have already surpassed with still more winter to go.
Click below to keep an eye on storm cancellations and delayed openings through the VOCM Storm Watch page.
More Messy Weather on the Way
Two more weather systems are forecast to hit the island in the next two days.
David Neil, a meteorologist with Environment Canada says Tuesday’s system won’t bring any significant amounts but the island will see a bit of snow and rain which starts in the west in the morning, reaching the Avalon in the afternoon.
He says the west will get the brunt of the system with up to 10 cm of snow; the rest of the island will generally see 2-5 cm fall. It will change to light rain on the south and east coasts late tomorrow afternoon.
Not probable for the Avalon, but it is possible. #nlwx. There are only two snow free months climatologically for most areas in the province, and those are July and August. https://t.co/eff12vl4pZ
— Justin Boudreau (@Isotachtics) March 2, 2020
Then Wednesday is when it gets messy. Neil says generally it will be a rainfall event for most of the island which starts in the south on Wednesday morning, before spreading to the rest of the island in the afternoon. He says the highest amounts of rainfall will be along southern Newfoundland and parts of the Avalon, where up to 25 mm could fall.
Neil says in the wake of the system, rain will change back to flurries overnight and through the day on Thursday.
