February blizzard hits Newfoundland with 40 cm of snow

As much as 40 centimetres of snow fell overnight in St. John's, Newfoundland as the city digs out of its first blizzard since 2020. Garrett Barry on its impact.

St. John’s is digging out from a powerful February storm, one that hit all the criteria needed to be recognized as a blizzard and also sounded the starting gun for the city’s snowy season.

The worst of the wind and visibility conditions struck Sunday night and into Monday morning, but about 40 cm fell in the Newfoundland capital by the time most of the city’s residents started their clean ups on Monday afternoon.

The storm shut down public transit, government offices, schools and many businesses early Monday morning.

“I think we’re lucky to get this far into the winter without having any major snowfall up until now,” St. John’s resident Beth Fagan said, adding that she’s no lover of snow, but acknowledges it comes with life in the province.

But there are plenty who’ve been crossing their fingers for a good dose of winter – including skiers and snowmobilers across the province.

So too has Daniel Chipman, a door-to-door shoveller, who along with his friend Donny pick up most of his business on a snowy, stormy day.

“Me and Donny, we’ll probably make … I’ll say, probably by 5 o’clock, about $500 or $600 each,” Chapman said while hunting for customers on Carpasian Road in St. John’s.

It’s one of the latest starts to his side business in years.

“I’m just grateful that the snow is here.”

Monday’s storm was one of the first in the city that’s been classified as a blizzard since a raucous wintery blast in 2020, which earned the nickname “Snowmaggedon.”

More than five years later, St. John’s Deputy City Manager Lynnann Winsor says the city has taken plenty of lessons from that week, where life just about stalled for a few days as city crews, and even army reserves, helped people dig out.

But while there’s no doom and gloom this time around, it will still take city plow drivers a few extra hours to complete their rounds, Winsor said. She anticipated the city would reach it’s service standard by 1 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.

“You just got to have a little bit of patience with us,” she said. “We are working as fast as we can to get all streets cleared, but it will take some time.”