Storm grinds St. John's, N.L., to a halt, leaving capital under 40 cm of snow

A resident of St. John's, N.L., is shown digging out from under about 40 cm of snow on Monday Feb. 10, 2025, after an intense winter storm swept across the eastern part of Newfoundland. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — An intense winter storm grounded flights, shut down schools and stopped public transit this morning in St. John’s, N.L., leaving the city to dig out from under 40 centimetres of snow.

Environment Canada meteorologist David Neil says the nastiest part of the storm hit Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula overnight and began to taper off this morning.

As of about 11 a.m. local time, he said the St. John’s International Airport was reporting accumulations of just over 40 cm, with a little more expected through the day as the storm pulled away from the island.

A wind gust of 143 kilometres per hour was recorded at Cape Pine, N.L., along the Avalon’s southern coast, while gusts around the capital city peaked at around 95 km/h.

RCMP are advising people to stay off the roads and stay home as crews work to clean up.

Meanwhile, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary say a 32-year-old man was rescued this morning after he called the force to say he was lost in the woods in Torbay, about 12 kilometres north of St. John’s.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2025.

The Canadian Press