Storm shuts down most of P.E.I.
Snow, ice pellets, wind and rain make for a messy day in the province
Everything came to a halt across Prince Edward Island on Tuesday as the Groundhog Day storm brought snow, wind and rain.
The first snowflakes started to fall in Charlottetown around 8:45 a.m., and the snow intensified from there.
Cancellations were quick to come in with all schools across the province closed for the day. UPEI cancelled its classes, while all Holland College campuses were closed as well.
Provincial government offices were also closed. The storm even cancelled the weekly COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday morning from Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer. Staff with the Chief Public Health Office said the briefing will be rescheduled this week.
Municipal staff also had the day off with both Charlottetown and Summerside City Hall’s closing up shop at different points in the day.
The RCMP Twitter account was reporting roads were treacherous and even impassable in some parts of the province.
As of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Cindy Day, chief meteorologist with the SaltWire Network, said the central and eastern regions of the province could see up to 20 centimetres of snow while Prince County was likely to receive 25 centimetres.
The snow had switched over to ice pellets by midafternoon on Tuesday. The forecast was calling for another quick switchover to rain by 5 p.m. with 20 to 30 millimetres expected.
The wind was also expected to pick up through the day on Tuesday with the strongest gusts, 70 to 90 km/h expected through Tuesday night, easing by midnight.
“I’d be worried about power outages with that much snow and then the strong winds and the rain,’’ Day said.
Kim Griffin, spokeswoman with Maritime Electric, said that’s the scenario they were preparing for on Tuesday, adding that all departments,
contractors and crews were ready to go if need be.
“The high winds, freezing rain up west is something we’re watching very closely,’’ Griffin said. “And there is snow on the trees everywhere else … and that is a concern.’’
Coun. Terry MacLeod, chairman of council’s standing committee on public works in Charlottetown, said he was briefed early Tuesday and told that all road and sidewalk plows and salt trucks were ready to go and some were actually out working in the afternoon.
“All operations will be going full out,’’ MacLeod said.
Stephen Szwarc, director of highway maintenance for the province, said they had 21 contracted crews out as well as more than 90 provincial crews.
Altogether, the province could have more than 200 pieces of equipment out through the night and into today.
Szwarc said much of Tuesday was spent handling the worst hit areas, which at times meant crews had to go back and do the same areas again when they drifted in.
“Everything depends on the transition of weather we’re getting,’’ he said.