Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
The City of St. John’s is asking residents to stay off the roads as much as possible while plows attempt to clean up the latest dumping of snow — pushing the city over 100 cm of snow in less than a week.
A statement from the city on Sunday evening said it is not considering declaring a state of emergency, as they believe asking residents to stay off the road will provide enough relief for snow-clearing efforts.
The city has also cancelled garbage collection, and is keeping the on-street parking ban for cars outside the downtown area.
“If you don’t have to go somewhere, please stay at home. But if you have to go out, be very careful,” St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen told the St. John’s Morning Show on Monday.
This comes after a flurry of posts on social media comparing the recent storms to the one known as Snowmageddon in 2020. That storm dropped 76 cm of snow on St. John’s, and 93 cm in neighbouring Mount Pearl and Paradise.
The past week’s snowfall has resulted in a whopping 144.8 cm in Paradise, and more than 100 cm in St. John’s, according to weather observers Lloyd Leaman and Kelly Butt.
Danny Breen is the mayor of St. John’s. (CBC)
But Breen says the conditions are different this time around, and a state of emergency is not needed. Snowmageddon hit in one fell swoop, while the latest storms have happened over the span of nearly a week. The 2020 storm was also paired with sustained high winds for days on end, packing the snow in and keeping plows off the roads at times.
“It’s not based on the amount of snow we get, it’s based on the conditions and the circumstances you’re in at the time,” Breen said.
The mayor advised the best thing people can do now is keep their cars off the streets as much as possible so crews can go to work widening roads.
St. John’s closed all of its public facilities Monday, hoping to alleviate some pressure.
In hard-hit Paradise, Mayor Patrick Martin is also urging people to stay at home. He said a state of emergency is not on the table right now.
“To be quite honest at this time, we don’t feel that’s needed,” Martin said. “Council is continuing to monitor the situation at this time…. Crews just need more time to get to the cleanup. A little bit longer than normal.”
Martin said town crews spent Sunday trying to keep main roads clear, and attention is now being turned to clearing side roads and eventually opening up all routes. As of Monday morning, he had no timeline for when that work could be complete.
Metrobus kept its buses off the road in the morning, with an update to be provided at noon.
Provincial government offices in the metro region are closed for the day, except for the employees who have been notified to come into work.
The law courts in St. John’s are also closed for the morning, with an update at 11.
Schools were already closed across the province for winter break, with classes scheduled to resume on Tuesday.
Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.