Marine Atlantic unsure if ferries will cross before Sunday
Hurricane-force winds of 185 km/h expected to wreak havoc on Gulf crossings
A storm described as a weather bomb that was set to hit the Maritime provinces Thursday forced Marine Atlantic and all airlines connecting Newfoundland and Labrador airports and Halifax to cancel or delay their schedules.
The storm is also going to affect this province, the west coast in particular, and it could be early next week before stormy conditions subside enough to get schedules back in place.
“We have cancelled our sailings for (Thursday) and again (Friday) and could impact us into Monday,” Marine Atlantic spokesman Darrell Mercer said Thursday.
“There is a hurricane-force wind warning in effect. We are expecting winds of 185 km/h through this storm. It has been a long time since we experienced 100 knot winds in a marine forecast and obviously this is not good for sailing.”
As of Thursday evening, Marine Atlantic rescheduled Thursday and Friday’s sailings for Saturday at 11:45 a.m., weather permitting, and an update will be provided Friday morning.
Nine-metre swells are expected and the wind is expected to stay high until at least Monday, and that will likely cause many more delays and cancellations.
Marine Atlantic sailed from both sides of the Gulf on Wednesday night, clearing traffic at both ports. As of 10 a.m. Thursday, Mercer said, there were 16 drop trailers and six regular trucks waiting for transport at North Sydney and 76 drop trailers and 35 commercial vehicles waiting at Port aux Basques.
Those numbers could grow, depending on weather patterns that could affect traffic to both ports.
The Maritimes will be affected by heavy snow that could quell traffic to North Sydney, and high winds — particularly through the Wreckhouse area — generally brings truck traffic to a standstill.
“In addition, with (Thursday and Friday’s) cancellations, there are 61 passengers impacted from North Sydney travelling to Port aux Basques and 181 passengers impacted travelling from Port aux Basques to North Sydney,” Mercer said.
Most flights between Halifax and Newfoundland and Labrador were cancelled on Thursday.
Adverse conditions
The Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment was monitoring the approaching weather system, which was expected to bring strong winds and snow over Newfoundland and Labrador beginning Thursday evening. Residents are reminded to take measures to ensure personal safety and to follow the latest weather forecast for alert bulletins at www.weather.gc.ca/warnings/index_e.html?prov=nl.
The system is forecast to bring strong winds throughout the province. Wind gusts Thursday were anticipated to be almost 180 km/h on parts of the west coast of the island, while other areas were expected to see wind gusts between 100 km/h and 130 km/h.
Higher than usual water levels due to a combination of storm surge, high waves and pounding surf are expected during high tide near noon on Friday and Saturday for coastal areas of the island portion of the province.
High storm surges increase risk of flooding in coastal areas, and residents are asked to exercise storm surge preparedness.
Municipalities and local service districts should ensure infrastructure such as roads, ditches and drains are clear of debris and appropriate provisions are made for the delivery of services during anticipated weather events.
For information on being prepared, residents can visit
www.getprepared.gc.ca (general emergency preparedness) or
getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/hzd/strmsrgs-en.aspx (storm surge preparedness).