Blizzard warnings persist, as winds wallop Newfoundland

Winds continue to tearacross Newfoundland Tuesday, andblizzard warnings remain in effect forcing some schools to close for the morning.

Not much snow is expected to fall on the west coast at most, 15 centimetres over higher terrain but the winds will continue to cause near-zero visibility at times.

Gusts ofup to 100 km/h are forecast across the south coast of the island and into the Avalon Peninsula, Environment Canada says.

A slew of schools in the western and central region have closed for the morning due to weather and road conditions.

• Newfoundland Storm Centre: Latest school closures and delays

On Monday, the Town of Trout River declared a state of emergency and asked residents to avoid the waterfront area, as the extreme winds whipped water into a frenzy, causing flooding and damage, as well as ripping shingles and siding from nearby buildings.

Mayor Horace Crocker says it's still too early to tell the extent of the damages, and he won't know more until daylight, but it appears the coastal boardwalk has taken another beating.

The town's boardwalk was extensively damaged back in 2017, and again last year in rough seas and stormy conditions.

"Very disheartening, because it seems like when we get it up to par a little bit for the tourists,then this comes in over again yesterday and damaged it, and all the work we put into it is all gone now again," said Crocker.

"It's terrible."

Crocker said the town installed an armour stoneretaining wall last year, which helped minimize the damage.

"That saved the buildings that would have been gone yesterday if the armour stone wasn't there," he said.

"Our biggest concern is the boardwalk," he said. "We have major damage done on that, the whole length of it, which is probably about a kilometre."

"But the businesses themselves the buildings, the houses are fine."

Marine Atlantic's scheduled daytime crossings for Tuesday have been delayed, with crossings happening just before midnight from Port aux Basques and North Sydney, N.S.

Advisories are also in effect for the south coast, where blowing snow is expected to make travel difficult.

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