PHOTOS: First winter storm of 2024 packs a wallop in Newfoundland
It took a while to happen, after a slow start to winter, but Newfoundland finally saw its first notable snowfall of the season –– leaving many areas with a messy cleanup to kick-start the weekend
The first weekend in 2024 will kick off with a lot of cleaning up in eastern Newfoundland after the island was hit with a potent winter storm that brought many disruptions Friday.
In addition to multiple flight and school cancellations Friday, Metrobus service ended at 9 p.m. due to unsafe road conditions.
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Webcams overlooking St. John's operated by NTV News revealed extremely low visibility amid the heavy, blowing snow plastering the region on Friday evening. Most roads were covered with snow, and visibility dropped to a few dozen metres during stronger wind gusts.
By the time the storm wrapped up early Saturday morning, more than 25 cm of snowfall was reported across the Avalon. Gusty winds of 60-80+ km/h led to extremely low visibility and near-whiteout conditions at times. The 23.2 cm of accumulation recorded at St. John's International Airport on Friday was the snowiest day since Feb. 14, 2023 (33.8 cm).
While the snow gradually came to an end Saturday morning, wind gusts of 70 km/h through the day will lead to reduced visibility as the freshly fallen snow continues blowing around.
As the snow and wind swept through, residents captured the storm and posted their visuals on social media. Below is just a selection of what is currently making the rounds on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Thumbnail courtesy of Travis Reid, taken on Jan. 5, 2024 in Mount Pearl, N.L.
