The Avalon Peninsula’s first real taste of winter is causing some major headaches on the commute home.

Wet, sloppy snow began falling on the region early this afternoon, creating slippery road conditions.

That, coupled with a widespread power outage affecting a large portion of the northeast Avalon is adding to the difficulties faced by commuters over the late afternoon and into the supper hour.

Many traffic lights are out, causing slowdowns as drivers navigate through affected intersections as four-way stops.

The power was knocked out around 2:30 p.m., affecting areas from Bell Island to Kilbride, Mount Pearl, and the west end of St. John’s. Newfoundland Power says the outage has been caused by severe weather conditions and the estimated time of restoration is 6:30 p.m.

David Neal of the Environment Canada weather office in Gander says the snow is expected to ease in the Gander area, where there are already six cm down, by suppertime. The snow won’t start to dissipate on the Avalon until early evening with another five cm expected before it’s all over.

Earlier Story

A broad area of the metro region is in the dark as weather conditions have knocked the power out.

Power is out from Kilbride to Mount Pearl, St. Philips, Portugal Cove, Bell Island, the east end, and parts of the west end of the downtown.

The cause of the outage is under investigation.

The outage is affecting traffic lights, meaning drivers have to treat intersections as four-way stops.

RCMP say conditions on the TCH are very poor with wet, snow-covered, and slushy sections. Visibility is poor, leading to a number of reported accidents on the highway.

Roads in the metro region are also snow-covered and slippery, leading to a number of accidents throughout the greater St. John’s region.