ST. JOHN'S, N.L. —
By Jeff Pelletier
Special to The Telegram
Environment Canada has issued a freezing rain warning for St. John’s and surrounding areas, as a low-pressure system crosses Newfoundland this week.
Precipitation is expected to begin overnight Tuesday and continue throughout the week, with freezing rain early Wednesday and on Friday.
Throughout the week, Environment Canada says there will be several other pockets of heavy rain and snow. In their warning statement, they said: “Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots will become icy, slippery and hazardous. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions.”
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro tweeted warning the public of potential outage overnight. On their website, they encourage people to avoid touching downed power lines, get in contact with their service providers, dress in warm clothes, and have flashlights or candles available.
A spring storm is on the way for the island tonight. Be prepared and stay safe! https://t.co/xkrU10Aqse #nlwx #staysafe pic.twitter.com/sGMmZk9JhP
— NLHydro (@NLHydro) April 23, 2019
Marine Atlantic has also issued a statement, warning customers that several ferry trips have been cancelled due to weather.
Environment Canada says it issues freezing rain warnings when “rain falling in sub-zero temperatures creates ice build-up and icy surfaces.”
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EARLIER STORY
If you enjoyed the mostly warm and sunny weather Easter Monday brought, this week, unfortunately, doesn’t look that great.
Residents in the St. John’s area should expect mostly freezing cold weather this week, with temperatures sitting between minus two and three degrees Celsius, according to Environment Canada.
Although Tuesday will bring a light mix of sun and clouds, there will be snow overnight. In St. John’s, you can expect up to three centimetres by Wednesday morning, while in more central areas such as Gander, you can expect between five to 10 centimetres.
According to SaltWire Network meteorologist Cindy Day, April weather in St. John’s is usually fairly cold, but this week’s weather will be colder than usual.
“It’s an all-week affair, with a raw east-to-northeast, with a raw wind setting up [on Tuesday] and lasting until Saturday,” Day said.
Don't put your boots away just yet! #Rain , #snow and #WIND #warnings are in effect for today and tomorrow, but there will be more snow for some on Thursday! My Tuesday AM time-line breaks it all down for you: https://t.co/iybmS16441 pic.twitter.com/pBMX1hh7ix
— Cindy Day (@CindyDayWeather) April 23, 2019
On Monday morning, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the St. John’s area, warning residents of snow, freezing rain and ice pellets.
“A low-pressure system will bring a variety of winter precipitation for most of Newfoundland Tuesday night into Wednesday,” the statement read. “After a brief lull Wednesday night, another round of mixed precipitation may potentially impact the Island Thursday and Friday.”
The low-pressure system is expected to have an impact until the weekend. On Sunday, forecasts are saying that the temperature should be back up to seven degrees with a 60 percent chance of rain and flurries.
“I know a lot of people are anxious to get their snow tires off, but it’s too soon, so I would wait until the end of the month,” Day said.
Although the weather this week is “unseasonably” cool, Day says that this type of weather is still common for this region.
“Nothing too dramatic, just that raw wind and that little brush of snow that people don’t like to see so late in the season, but it does happen,” she said.
“The temperatures are below normal, but typically we do get that little dip in temperatures near freezing with a dusting of snow.”
Although Environment Canada cannot provide specific precipitation amounts, the public is advised to monitor forecasts and watch out for other potential alerts.
People are also welcome to report severe weather to Environment Canada at [email protected], or on Twitter using #NLwx.
