Snow squalls, high winds continue bringing treacherous travel to Newfoundland
Sea-effect snow continues Friday for parts of western Newfoundland while high winds cause blowing snow and travel headaches for the rest of the province
Intense sea-effect snow squalls will continue across parts of western Newfoundland on Friday as the chilly westerly winds continue blowing across the island.
Weak squalls will impact the Avalon but will remain unorganized during the strongest wind gusts Friday morning.
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Drivers are urged to plan ahead and to be prepared for the quickly changing travel conditions. Visibilities will be significantly reduced due to the heavy snow combined with blowing snow, and snow will quickly accumulate.
Through Friday
Sea-effect snow squalls ramped up through the day Thursday, fuelled by strong westerly winds that’ll keep the locally intense snowfall churning right into the day Friday.
The strongest snow squalls will aim for western Newfoundland, including communities from Port-aux-Basque through Stephenville, Corner Brook, Deer Lake, and into the Northern Peninsula.
PHOTOS: Powerful snow squalls bury communities with knee-high totals
"Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably; changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common," says Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), in the snow squall warnings.
On top of the snow squalls, strong winds are expected throughout Newfoundland into Friday. Wind gusts of 80-100 km/h are expected to bring blizzard conditions in these snow squalls, creating zero visibility and hazardous travel. ECCC has also issued widespread wind warnings in addition to the ongoing snow squall warnings on Friday morning.
The strong and gusty winds will also generate some blowing snow, which will pose an issue for travellers across the island as blowing snow can quickly result in low visibility along open roadways.
Along with the snow squalls, colder temperatures will usher into the region, and will be exacerbated due to the wind. That will lead to wind chills in the -10 to -20 range.
Winds will start to ease by the weekend, with wind chill values in the minus single digits, but temperatures will continue to be below freezing into next week.
Check back for all the latest on your forecast across Atlantic Canada.