CORNER BROOK — A taste of winter weather made for a busy day Friday for snowclearing crews, caused headaches for motorists and numerous delays for marine vessels.
According to a storm warning issued by Environment Canada at 3:55 p.m. Friday, a low pressure system was expected to dump as much as 30 centimetres of snow in the area by the evening, with blowing snow and strong easterly winds.
The snow was expected to stop in some areas overnight but also to bring snow to northern areas of the west coast as it passed through. Winds in the Wreckhouse area were slated to gust as high as 100 km/h through Friday evening.
Craig Kennedy, the City of Corner Brook’s superintendent of works, said crews were salting roads at 6 a.m. Friday before the snow started coming heavily around 8 a.m.
A full complement of 11 plows and four salt trucks were busy throughout the day, and by mid-afternoon Kennedy said all side roads were clear and crews were clearing the city’s main roads again.
With more bad weather to come, the city was as prepared as possible.
“We’ve got a crew on tonight for eight o’clock,” Kennedy said. “Plus, our contractors are going to keep going as long as they can. All the runs will be covered and tomorrow morning the day shift will be at it again if all the snow isn’t cleared up.”
The heavy snow and slippery conditions led to a number of traffic accidents, including a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of O’Connell Drive and Elizabeth Street and a report of one vehicle having gone off Humber Road.
A tractor trailer also flipped over near the Wreckhouse as a result of high winds in the area.
Crossings for Strait of Belle Isle ferry the MV Apollo were cancelled as of 3:39 p.m. Friday and scheduled to resume Saturday at 8 a.m., and 1 p.m. from St. Barbe and 10:30 a.m. from Blanc Sablon.
Due to high winds forecasted in the Cabot Strait, Marine Atlantic crossings from Port aux Basques to North Sydney slated for Thursday evening were cancelled. Weather permitting, the ferries were expected to resume service Friday at 11:30 p.m. from North Sydney and 11:45 p.m. from Port aux Basques.
