Residents have been told to prepare for an expected 40 to 75 centimetres of snow

A pedestrian braves extreme conditions as he walks in St. Johns, N.L., on Jan. 17, 2020.
Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press
Newfoundland and Labradors capital shut down on Friday as blizzard conditions descended on the city and residents prepared for an intense storm expected to last until Saturday.
The City of St. Johns declared a state of emergency, ordering businesses closed and vehicles off the roads. The nearby towns of Mount Pearl, Paradise, Torbay and Portugal Cove-St. Philips followed suit shortly afterwards.
Environment Canada has issued blizzard and wind warnings for much of Newfoundland, with the heaviest snow expected in the Avalon and Bonavista peninsulas, where strong winds and blowing snow may cause whiteout conditions until Saturday.
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The agency advised of possible damage to shingles or windows on buildings and advised people store objects that could be tossed by the wind and cause more damage.
Residents had been told to prepare for an expected 40 to 75 centimetres of snow. By 12:30 p.m., 33 centimetres had already been recorded at St. Johns International Airport since 5 a.m., according to Environment Canada meteorologist David Neil. He said 20 centimetres had fallen within two hours.
Its been very nasty in St. Johns so far and its expected to just continue, Neil said from Gander, where high winds and snow had started to intensify by early afternoon.
The City of St. Johns declared a state of emergency Friday as blizzard conditions descended on the city. Environment Canada issued wind and blizzard warnings across Newfoundland, with the heaviest impacts expected in the eastern part of the island. Up to 75 centimetres of snow was expected in some areas, along with white-out conditions from high winds. Streets were mostly empty of cars by late morning as residents prepared to be snowed in.The Canadian Press
By mid-morning in St. Johns, snow was blowing in all directions and city streets were all but abandoned. The provincial government said plows were being taken off highways in the Avalon peninsula due to dangerous conditions, and advised people to avoid travel.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said its officers were on call and available to respond to emergencies in St. Johns. A spokesman advised people to stay off the roads if possible and prepare for power outages, with flashlights, food and water on hand.
This is an unprecedented kind of event, this is easily on pace for a record snowfall, Cadigan said.
He reminded residents to keep in contact with elderly neighbours and to continuously stay in contact with people if travelling in case of an emergency.
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Its going to be about the whole community working together here to keep everybody safe.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted his support to Newfoundland and Labrador residents on Friday afternoon. He said Public Safety Minister Bill Blair was in touch with provincial authorities and monitoring the storm, saying were ready to help if needed.
To everyone in NL affected by the storm, please listen to your local authorities. We want you to stay safe, and keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles and snow clearing, Trudeaus tweet read.
Newfoundland Power reported a number of weather-related outages in parts of the Avalon and Burin peninsulas Friday afternoon, including parts of St. Johns, Mount Pearl, Bell Island and other coastal towns. The utility said impassable roads were preventing crews from accessing the outage areas.
As winds picked up Friday afternoon, the company said extreme winds could cause momentary outages as power lines hit trees or other lines, and asked people to report prolonged outages.
Neil, the meteorologist, said 19.6 centimetres of snow had been recorded in St. Lawrence on the Burin Peninsula, adding the estimate could be lower than the actual snowfall.
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The heaviest snow was anticipated during the day but winds were expected to pick up in the evening, with gusts as strong as 150 kilometres per hour near coastal areas and high waves expected along the northeast and east coasts.
Neil advised people to heed emergency warnings and stay indoors.
This is a very dangerous, dangerous storm, he said.
Schools and government offices had already been closed in the St. Johns area before the emergency status was announced.
Local taxi company Jiffy Cabs said in a tweet that it was pulling vehicles off the roads for the first time in our company history.
The City of St. Johns warned residents to prepare emergency kits with enough supplies to last for at least 72 hours.
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All businesses are ordered to close, a statement from the city said Friday morning, adding that all vehicles except emergency vehicles are prohibited from using city streets. Plowing of streets was to continue.
Please return home and do not drive until the state of emergency has been lifted, the statement concluded.
The state of emergency will remain in effect until further notice.
Metrobus Transit cancelled bus service in the city for the day and flights scheduled throughout the day were cancelled at St. Johns International Airport.
With snow blowing in all directions in front of his home in the Georgestown neighbourhood, resident Tiber Reardon was out shovelling on Friday morning to avoid a massive snow drift when the storm eventually dies down.
I realize how futile this looks … (but) I have this weird logic that if I come out every few hours, then it wont be so bad and tomorrow it wont be up to here, he said, gesturing to the top of his head.
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Reardon said there was a certain appeal to witness the furious snowy gales, but said hed review his plan to keep battling the snowfall as the day continued.
Theres something neat about being out in it, but well see how it goes today, he said.