Historic Newfoundland blizzard was meteorologically epic

A typical scene in St. John's, Newfoundland after a fierce coastal storm dumped 76.2cm of snow in 24 hours on the city. (CBC)

By now most of you are aware of the monster storm that hammered eastern Newfoundland on Friday and Saturday. The powerful ocean storm drew off the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, while Arctic air fuelled the system from the northwest. The storm had humble beginnings, bringing 5 to 10cm of snow to parts of Ontario and Quebec last Wednesday, before moving off the Maine coast on Thursday. It then blossomed into a major Atlantic winter storm, a white hurricane if you will, deepening to a remarkable 954mb low. That barometric pressure is comparable to a category 3 hurricane.

Above: Transportation and Works Newfoundland plows having a difficult time on Pitts Memorial Drive, Saturday, January 18. The four lane highway was covered in snowdrifts reaching over 15 feet high (Transportation and Works Newfoundland Photo)

Many of you have likely viewed the photos on news and social media of the mountains of snow in St John's, up to the rooftops in many cases. The amount of snow was incredible, 76.2cm in 24 hours in St. John's. That smashed the cities record of 68.4cm set on April 5, 1999. Even more fell in other parts of the Avalon Peninsula, including 93cm at Mount Pearl. That was just one part of this ferocious storm, the other was the relentless wind. We may never know just how strong it was in St. John's, because the anemometer failed at the airport. Before it did however, winds gusted up to 134km/h (83mph). Forecasters estimate the wind may have exceeded 150km/h in St. John's. The wind was remarkable across the Avalon, reaching 171km/h (106mph) at Green Island and Fortune Bay. In St John's, wind gusts exceeded 100km/h for 15 consecutive hours.

A spectacular NOAA satellite image of the storm exploding off the Newfoundland coast on Friday, January 17, 2020.

The storm also produced wave heights along the Atlantic coast of over 15 feet. The combination of wind and snow produced blizzard conditions for almost 21 hours. Visibility at best was few metres and near zero most of the time. A state of emergency was declared across the Avalon, and remains in effect for many locations including St. John's on Monday. Roads, the airport, businesses and schools remain closed. The Telegram Newspaper in St. John's has halted printing and distribution until the state of emergency is lifted.

Firefighters battle near-zero visibility in St. John's on Friday, January 17, 2020

Close to 300 Canadian Armed Forces personal are on the ground Monday, helping weary first responders and public works employees deal with the aftermath of the storm. In some cases, 15 foot (4.5 metre) drifts are blocking roadways, delaying in the efforts to restore power. Thousands of customers were in the dark as a result of the storm.

More snow fell late Sunday, before the temperature nudged above the freezing mark. Windy and colder weather is forecast this week, but thankfully a break in the parade of storms the region has had this winter. To date, St. John's has recorded an amazing 248cm of snow this winter. By comparison, Montreal has received 110cm.