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The storm battering the eastern part of Newfoundland is one residents won’t soon forget.

A large section of the island — including the city of St. John’s, Avalon Peninsula, Clarenville and Bonavista Peninsula — is under a blizzard warning Saturday with a total snowfall of 35 to 75 centimetres expected.

2:00 Clean-up efforts underway in St. John’s two days after massive snowstorm Clean-up efforts underway in St. John’s two days after massive snowstorm

An Environment Canada meteorologist said 51 cm of snow had been measured at St. John’s International Airport as of 6:30 p.m NT.

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3:23 Newfoundlanders dig out as blizzard hits St. John’s Newfoundlanders dig out as blizzard hits St. John’s

A pedestrian braves extreme conditions as he walks in St. John’s on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. The City of St. John’s has declared a state of emergency, ordering businesses closed and vehicles off the roads as blizzard conditions descend on the Newfoundland and Labrador capital. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan.

Wind gusts were forecast to be as high as 120 kilometres per hour — and up to 150 kilometres per hour along parts of the coast, according to Environment Canada.

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0:36 Snow plows working to clear roads as quick as possible as Newfoundland hammered by storm Snow plows working to clear roads as quick as possible as Newfoundland hammered by storm

With such high winds, there’s also a storm surge warning in effect for some areas, with maximum wave heights of nine to 12 metres expected.

Here’s a look at some of the sights and sounds of the storm:

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1:42 Large portion of Newfoundland under blizzard warning as winds, snow batter island Large portion of Newfoundland under blizzard warning as winds, snow batter island

The City of St. John’s declared a state of emergency at 11 a.m. Friday.

All businesses were told to close, though many buildings were already shuttered for the day. All vehicles except first responders were ordered off the road.

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“Please return home until the order is lifted,” the city said in a tweet.

1:20 Newfoundland blizzard has many residents snowed in, cars buried by snow drifts Newfoundland blizzard has many residents snowed in, cars buried by snow drifts

Everything you need to know about the storm today, as told by Lucy. #nlwx pic.twitter.com/XJEzw1cxDF — Hasan Hai (@HasanHaiNL) January 17, 2020

https://twitter.com/ScienceMercer/status/1218253779650392064/photo/1

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The declaration was the first in decades, according to the city’s mayor.

Mayor Danny Breen told the St. John’s Telegram that the last time the city declared a state of emergency — at least, to his knowledge — was during an ice storm in 1984.

1:25 Tracking the system bringing NL’s monster storm Tracking the system bringing NL’s monster storm

“What’s different this time from the past (is) we’ve had bad storms and we’ve had bad wind storms, but we’ve never had both of them in one, really, at this level. And we also have 170 cm of snow on the ground,” he told the paper.

So this is how it ends…buried alive lol pic.twitter.com/X9t1H8NrIv — Ernie Powell (@etrevorpowell) January 17, 2020

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Here's what it looks like right now. Media outlets, use away. pic.twitter.com/PwVCGULDdI — Ernie Powell (@etrevorpowell) January 17, 2020



Based on the forecast, the City of St. John’s announced Thursday that its facilities, including the Robin Hood Bay landfill and City Hall, would be closing on Friday.

Officials urged residents to make sure they had medications, a battery-operated radio and any emergency kit at the ready.

“Be ready to cope on your own for at least 72 hours,” the city said in a message on its website.

Almost all snowed in. The good news is that this is a drift and there is freedom on the other side. #nlwx pic.twitter.com/X4CRcx1xM6 — Mark Duggan (@markduggan) January 18, 2020

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As #NLStorm continues, our Winter Operations crew is hard at work clearing runways and roads. Please contact your airline directly for flight information. Stay safe! #YYT #nlwx pic.twitter.com/QXD8UrMJxs — St. John's Airport (@stjohnsairport) January 17, 2020

The city’s public transportation service, Metrobus, had also pre-emptively announced it would not be operating Friday.

Cab operator Jiffy said in compliance with the state of emergency, it was pulling all of its vehicles off the roads.

“First time in company history,” Jiffy Cabs said in a tweet.

A man walks down the middle of New Gower Street in St. John’s as a major winter storm hits the Avalon Peninsula on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. Schools, government offices and most businesses are closed due to the blizzard conditions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan.

The nearby municipalities of Portugal Cove-St. Philips, Torbay, Mount Pearl, Conception Bay South and Paradise have declared their own states of emergency.

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0:32 One snowplow takes on the aftermath of St. John’s historic snowfall aftermath One snowplow takes on the aftermath of St. John’s historic snowfall aftermath

Highway conditions were so dangerous that most of the provincial government’s plow depots suspended operations in the eastern part of the province including the Avalon Peninsula, which is home to roughly 270,000 people.

22 of 26 depots in eastern Newfoundland and on the Avalon have taken plows off highways due to dangerous conditions and zero visibility. The operators remain in the depots on standby. #nltraffic https://t.co/okHn9jjeEB — Transportation and Works NL (@TW_GovNL) January 17, 2020

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This is looking out my living room window! As we say in Bonavista, it's Mudless Rough!! #snowmaggedon2020 #nlwx #nlstorm pic.twitter.com/SkzF2IjKsI — Mark Gray 🇨🇦 (@GrayMarker99) January 17, 2020

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The blizzard also brought St. John’s International Airport to a near standstill.

As of Friday afternoon, nearly all incoming and outgoing flights were cancelled, the airport’s website shows.

Shovelling snow is my favourite thing of all time! I will chase the heave and bark for more until you pass out, wake up again, and keep going! #nlwx #nlstorm @weathernetwork #Snowmageddon2020 #Snowmageddon #snowday pic.twitter.com/4NLmlFZfV4 — Casey (@iamcaseydog) January 17, 2020

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The Red Cross urged residents to take safety precautions.

“Check on your neighbours,” the agency said on Twitter. “Continue to take precautions and listen to and follow directions from local authorities. NEVER use a generator, BBQ, propane inside an enclosed area.”

Severe weather and road conditions are currently preventing our crews from safely responding to some outages. We remain ready to respond as conditions improve. Please be prepared in case outages occur. Call 1-800-474-5711 if you need us. For updates visit https://t.co/UqnqIAkBYi. — Newfoundland Power (@NFPower) January 17, 2020

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As of late Friday afternoon, a few thousand households had lost electricity, according to Newfoundland Power.

Severe conditions and “impassable roads” are preventing its crews from accessing areas affected by outages, the utility said.

The company also warned residents to be prepared for wider outages.

Please stay safe! Check on your neighbours. Continue to take precautions and listen to and follow directions from local authorities. NEVER use a generator, BBQ, propane inside an enclosed area. #nlstorm #nlwx Winter Storms: Before, During & After https://t.co/6jSTJ5Ecfj pic.twitter.com/xGL514aynq — CanRedCrossNL (@canredcrossnl) January 17, 2020

Environment Canada says the storm could last another 24 hours, though conditions were expected to improve Saturday morning.

St Johns Airport up to 37 cm of snow through 1:30 PM #nlwx #nltraffic pic.twitter.com/wTVgIzfIJk — Brian Walsh (@BrianWalshWX) January 17, 2020

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Hard to tell but this car is stuck in the middle of the road #snowmaggedon2020 #nltraffic #nlstorm pic.twitter.com/mN1NVIglKf — Danielle Douglas (@dddouglas__) January 17, 2020

“To everyone in N.L. affected by the storm, please listen to your local authorities,” tweeted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“We want you to stay safe, and keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles and snow clearing. (Public Safety Minister) Bill Blair is in contact with the province and is monitoring the situation. We’re ready to help if needed.”

Premier Dwight Ball thanked essential workers for their efforts to keep residents safe during the storm.

A huge thank you to the essential service workers who are braving the elements to keep us all safe today. You are once again showing us all the tremendous service you provide our province. #nlwx — Premier of NL (@PremierofNL) January 17, 2020

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Little bird hanging on for dear life in our tree during this intense mega blizzard and state of emergency here today. Wish we could take her inside. #megastorm2020#stjohnsnl#snowmaggedon2020 #nlstorm #blizzard pic.twitter.com/sM24t7zOnh — Regina Russell, ABR® SRES® REALTOR® (@russellre29) January 17, 2020

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On cue for lunch hour, the wind and blowing snow has picked up in #Gander. #nlwx #nltraffic pic.twitter.com/Cwyai77jG2 — Rodney Barney (@rcbstormpost) January 17, 2020