Blowing snow advisory continues on P.E.I.
Health PEI moves to emergency-only care due to blizzard-like conditions
With plows off the road in central and western P.E.I. and a blowing snow warning, Health PEI is advising Islanders with non-urgent health care needs to stay home.
Major highways on P.E.I. are impassable from the centre of the province all the way west. That includes Route 2 from Norboro to Tignish, all of 1A, and Route 1 from Crapaud to Confederation Bridge. Plow dispatchers report three-metre drifts on the highway. In many areas plows haven't been out since Sunday afternoon. Some people who did go out had to abandon their vehicles and be escorted to nearby motels.
The snowfall is almost done, with just another five to 10 centimetres expected Monday, but winds will remain high, blowing the snow around, reducing visibility, and erasing the efforts of snow plows to keep the roads clear.
Health PEI has cancelled non-essential appointments.
- Cancelled: ambulatory care appointments for Queen Elizabeth and Prince County Hospitals.
- Cancelled: elective surgeries scheduled for the Queen Elizabeth and Prince County Hospitals.
- Cancelled: appointments scheduled for the P.E.I. Cancer Treatment Centre.
- Cancelled: appointment for provincial hemodialysis service.
- Cancelled: appointments for public health nursing clinics.
- Closed for the day: all Health PEI operated health centres.
Islanders with life or limb-threatening conditions should call 911 for emergency support and transportation to hospital. Islanders requiring non-emergency care needs can call 811 for advice and consider visiting a walk-in clinic or making an appointment with their family physician when weather and road conditions improve.
CBC meteorologist Peter Coade said it will be some time before the weather subsides.
"The wind is going to be staying strong, generally northerly, north to northwest, becoming a little bit northwest late today, but gusting up to 60, 70 kilometres an hour much of the day," said Coade.
"No real break from that wind, really not getting below 30, 40 kilometres, until tomorrow afternoon."
Coade said, unofficially, 48 centimetres of snow fell at Charlottetown Airport Sunday. If that holds true, last winter's record total of 451 centimetres would be erased, with 454 centimetres down this winter.
Forty eight centimetres would also be the second snowiest day of the year, surpassed only by the 64.4 centimetres of snow that fell on the first day of the Islander Day storm, exactly one month previously.
With extreme weather conditions continuing travel is just about impossible around P.E.I. Confederation Bridge has been closed to traffic since 5 p.m. Sunday, and some flights are cancelled out of Charlottetown Airport.
There are about 100 customers without power this morning, with the largest pockets in the Malpeque/Kensington area and Lot 16.
Crews are being dispatched to locate the problem and restore power.
UPEI and all Holland College campuses are closed for the day.