Eastern Canadian Snowfall Deficit And Labrador Epic Snowstorm

St. John's, NL - January 7, 2020. Courtesy: Derm Carberry

Part of the East Coast left digging out of 'door-high' snow

Digital Writers

The Weather Network

As much of the country continues to wonder, 'where is winter exactly?,' parts of Labrador are digging out from a significant blast of snow, one that prompted several school closures in the region early Friday.

Winter storm and snowfall warnings remained in effect Friday morning, with some additional snow and strong northerly winds gusting up to 70 km/h making for poor visibility in blowing snow.

Conditions are expected to gradually improve through Friday evening, but until then, drivers are being urged to consider postponing any non-essential travel.

Amy Montague

@AmyMontague4

8am, 12pm, 1pm... and it still hasn’t stopped outside. Thankful for my friends who helped shovelled me out! Can’t wait to see what I’m faced with in the morning 😅 #nlwx #labrador #hopedale #winterstorm

Peter Smith

@petersmithcb

+5 with RDF in #cornerbrook #nl in JANUARY!! Just a dusting of wet snow left. Unheard of for the NL "snowbelt" area this time of year. Not sure where the January weather @KelseyMcEwen is referring to! 😜 #nlwx @EddieSheerr @a_brauweiler @weathernetwork

Mike Vandenberg

@mvberg

If anyone in Newfoundland has ever wondered what winters in Vancouver feel like, now you know. #nlwx

THIS WEATHER IS 'UNHEARD OF'

An unusual retrograding pattern has made for a mostly unsettled week across Atlantic Canada, as a strong blocking high in the North Atlantic continued to send storms west to east back into the region. But the impact, aside from the door covering snow in Labrador, hasn't been anything too significant.

As temperatures remain on the mild side of seasonal, Thursday's system mainly manifested as rain for the Maritimes and much of Newfoundland as well, leaving some residents in the normal 'snowbelt' regions questioning the conditions.

On a scour across the country for more typical signs of the winter season, much of the East Coast is indeed amid a snow deficit.

For St. John's, Newfoundland for example, whose current 46.8 cm of snow is less than half its normal, it could not be a bigger reversal from last year where the city was buried by an epic snowstorm.

An unusually quiet and mild pattern will persist into next week.

"The next chance for a significant system with widespread precipitation looks to happen late next week or, more likely, next weekend," says Weather Network meteorologist Dr. Doug Gillham. "We should then see a more active pattern during the second half of January."

Stay tuned to The Weather Network for the latest updates on the weather in your area.