Schools closed across eastern Newfoundland as storm draws closer
A forecasted dump of snow has caused schools across a wide area of eastern Newfoundland to shut their doors on Friday.
The Department of Education made the call at 6 a.m., closing all schools in the metro St. John's region, as well as schools as far away as Clarenville, Bonavista and Grand Bank.
FORECAST: Snow intensifies across Newfoundland Friday with dangerous blizzard conditions
A full list of public school closures can be found here. Memorial University also closed its metro campuses, though online courses may still go ahead. The provincial government announced early Friday morning its offices in the St. John's area would be closed for the day.
Most of the Avalon Peninsula is under a winter storm warning, with between 20 and 35 centimetres of snow expected to fall through Saturday. That will be complicated by winds gusting up to 80 km/h, causing blowing snow and poor visibility.
CBC meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler said the wind and snow could combine for blizzard conditions.
The snow, which began falling Friday morning, is forecast to grow heavier throughout the afternoon and reach its peak in the evening.
Clarenville, the Burin Peninsula and Bonavista Peninsula are under a winter storm watch and are expected to see between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow.
On the bright side, Brauweiler said the cleanup should be relatively easy once the winds die down on Saturday.
"This isn't going to be a cement snow type of event," she said. "This should be relatively easy to shovel and your snowblower should have no trouble cleaning this one up."
