Ice pellets, high winds lead to closures

A nasty storm whipped through Newfoundland and Labrador Monday, prompting school closures and transportation warnings on Monday morning.

Wind warnings were in effect in many areas, with gusts expected to top 120 km/h in some locations.

In the notorious Wreckhouse area of the island's west coast— where strong winds are legendary andperilous— winds were forecast to hit 180 km/h, with a warning to truckers and motorists to avoid the area.

The RCMP issued warnings to motorists to avoid certain areas of highway, including the Burin Peninsula, the Wreckhouse area, and the Witless Bay Line, near St. John's.

Whiteouts were common and driving conditions were frequently described as poor, police said.

In Labrador, blizzard-like conditions were strong enough to lead Canada Post to shut down its sorting station for the day in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Apeculiar array of weather conditions— everything from ice pellets to freezing rainto fog— slashed across eastern Newfoundland. Heavier snowfalls were expected in other regions of the province.

Weather warnings of one sort or another were issued for all of the island, as well as coastal and central Labrador.

Power outages were scattered across the province, but by 2:30 p.m. NT, Newfoundland Power reported that only two areas were left in the dark, in the Codroy Valley on the west coast and on the Avalon Peninsula.

Numerous schools have closed across the province. Memorial University cancelled its morning classes, and numerous public services and activities were closed or postponed.

Marine Atlantic had parked at least one of its ferries running between Nova Scotia and southern Newfoundland as it waits to see how the storm will unfold.

By Monday afternoon, conditions in the St. John's had cleared, with slush and heavy rains replacing the morning storm.

At St. John's International Airport, several flights were not able to land on Sunday as the storm moved through Eastern Canada, leading to a few delays and cancellations.