Snowclearing, hydro crews gear up for high winds, major snow as storm heads for N.L.

Most of Newfoundland and Labrador is set for a few days of sloppy weather as a major low pressure system that meteorologists are calling a "weather bomb" moves into the province.

• The science behind the 'weather bomb' heading our way

The west coast of the island will be hit particularly hard, with 20 to 30 cm of snow and winds as high 170 km/h in the forecast.

"We are going over every piece of equipment, checking our cutting edges, wings, lights and everything," said Craig Kennedy, Corner Brook's superintendent of public works.

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro said it has been planning ahead and organizing resources.

"We have frontline crews in the field and extra personnel in all of our service territories, ready to respond," reads a post on the company's website.

"We'll respond as quickly as possible to outages – however, hazardous conditions during the storm could make work challenging and we ask for customers' patience in the event that they lose power."

All areas of the province are under weather warnings ahead of the system's arrival, as high winds mix with snow, freezing rain and rain between late Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

Newfoundland

All areas of Newfoundland will be affected by the storm, but western regions are bracing for the double dose of up to 30 cm of snow and high winds.

"The winds cause a lot of problems with drifting and for safety purposes with our operators," Kennedy said.

His crews are ready to work longer hours to clean up, he said, with an extended day shift planned and more people on the schedule for the night shift.

"Manpower will not be a problem," he said. 

With rain and freezing rain forecasted to follow the snow, Kennedy said they'll be keeping an eye out for flooding, but he isn't expecting a lot of water.

"We've got lots of sandbags and we've got lots of crews to deal with it. We'll adjust to that as the weather gets warmer," he said.

"I think we're okay."

The lineups were long at Sobeys in Corner Brook Thursday as people stocked up for an anticipated snow day.

Areas further east, from Gander to the Avalon Peninsula, will see snow more likely to be in the 5-10 cm range before turning to freezing rain overnight and then rain by morning.

Temperatures are expected to get as high as six degrees across the island by Friday. However it will take longer for temperatures to rise in the west, which is why that region should get more snow before the changeover to freezing rain and rain.

The precipitation in all regions will mix with strong southeasterly winds, making for poor visibility Thursday night and Friday morning.

Labrador

All of Labrador is under blizzard or winter storm warnings, as light snow Thursday evening becomes more intense during the overnight hours.

Blizzard warnings are in effect from Nain in the north to Labrador City in the west and as far south as the Rigolet area, with 15 to 20 cm of snow expected by Friday evening, combined with northwesterly winds which could make near-zero visibility.

Further south on the Labrador coast from Cartwright to Red Bay, the snow will change to rain showers or drizzle by late Friday morning.

Travel disruptions

With hurricane-force winds in the forecast for Nova Scotia, Marine Atlantic cancelled all of its crossings on the Cabot Strait Thursday and Friday, and said crossings on Saturday, Sunday and Monday could also be affected.

Most flights between Halifax and Newfoundland and Labrador were also cancelled Thursday.