PHOTOS: First blizzard in 2022 knocks out power across East Coast

Digital WritersThe Weather Network

Published on Jan. 7, 2022, 9:38 PM

Updated on Jan. 9, 2022, 1:23 PM

Heavy snow, powerful winds, and even some very rare thundersnow saw out the end of the first week of 2022 in the Maritimes, while Newfoundland saw blizzard conditions for the start of the weekend.

Thousands of people lost power on Canada's East Coast as a powerful nor'easter brought very heavy snowfall and wicked winds to the region.

In the Maritimes, Nova Scotia and parts of southern New Brunswick saw the biggest impacts in terms of snow, with blowing snow and reduced visibility continuing Saturday as winds remained blustery in wake of system. At one point, tens of thousands of power outages were reported, though that figure was down to around 6,100 Sunday morning, according to Nova Scotia Power's outage map.

In Newfoundland, the heaviest snow was in the west, but the Avalon and other nearby coastal areas saw very strong winds, prompting wind and blizzard warnings that lasted through Saturday.

One peculiarity of this system: A rare confluence of weather factors has actually delivered a few instances of thundersnow – thunder during a snowstorm – with some people catching it on camera Saturday in Nova Scotia.

Below is a selection of how the storm played out across the Atlantic region.

Thumbnail courtesy of Theresa Williams, taken in Saint John, N.B.