Who needs spring anyway? Winter storm hits parts of Newfoundland

People in parts of Newfoundland experienced a bit of déjà vu Wednesday as a slow-grinding storm swept over parts of the island, closing schools, courts and halting numerous public services, and dumping 37 centimetres on the ground at the St. John's airport by 4:30 p.m.

• Storm Centre: Eastern region cancellations and closures
• Storm Centre: Central Newfoundland delays and cancellations

The storm, which has brought low visibility and howling winds, closed schools in the early part of the day, then triggered more closures in the afternoon, including the Confederation Building government complex in St. John's and the Wednesday sitting of the Newfoundland legislature.

The Metrobus service pulled its buses off the road around 1 p.m., and city recreation facilities were shut down about an hour later.

The Avalon Mall, the largest shopping centre in the city, also sent employees home early Wednesday afternoon.

Memorial University, where students have been writing final exams, is closed until at least the early evening, with students being told they will write their exams later. 

The College of the North Atlantic also closed its Clarenville campus at 2 p.m. as the storm moved west.

Environment Canada has a storm warning in effect for the eastern region, across to Green Bay-White Bay and along the south coast to Connagire.

In St. John's, winds were blowing and snow started falling by 5 a.m. NT.

• Ryan Snoddon: Winter returns on Wednesday

Meanwhile, many kindergarten to Grade 12 schools in the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District (NLESD) are closed for the morning in eastern and central Newfoundland, while some announced they would close all day.

By 10 a.m., all St. John's schools in the NLESD announced they would remain closed through Wednesday.

Some flights were cancelled at St. John's International Airport overnight.

Snow, heavy at times, paired with strong northerly winds are expected throughout the day Wednesday.

Total snowfall accumulations by Thursday morning are expected to be near 15 centimetres over the northern Avalon Peninsula and in the Green Bay area.

Over the northern coast of Newfoundland, Environment Canada says total accumulation will range from 25 to 35 cm over inland sections, with smaller amounts along coastal areas.

Storm scenes

9 years ago

Duration 0:44

Pictures of the storm from around St. John's from our RDI videographer Phillipe Grenier.

Winds are expected to gust between 80 and 110 km/h Wednesday through the evening, spreading westward from the Avalon to the Burin and Connaigre peninsulas.

The winds are expected to ease overnight, or by early Thursday morning.