Freezing rain warning issued for eastern Newfoundland
Environment Canada says freezing rain is coming to the St. John's area and warns drivers to be careful. (Steve Lawrence/CBC)
Environment Canada has issued a freezing rain warning in the Avalon and Burin Peninsula areas, which one meteorologist says could mean slippery roads and flickering lights.
"We are expecting snow to develop over southeastern Newfoundland this afternoon and that's going to transition through ice pellets into freezing rain this evening," Mike Vandenberg, a meteorologist at Environment Canada's Gander weather office, said Thursday.
Speaking with CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show, Vandenberg said freezing rain over the northern Avalon Peninsula and Burin Peninsula will taper off Friday morning. In the southern Avalon the freezing rain should transition into rain.
The total freezing rain and rainfall amount is estimated to be between 10 and 20 millimetres.
A special weather statement is also in effect for the Bonavista Peninsula and the Clarenville area, where a combination of snow, ice pellets, and freezing rain is expected. The total snowfall may reach as high as 15 centimetres.
Vandenberg had some advice for people preparing for those upcoming icy conditions.
"[It's] going to be quite a treacherous morning for folks as they get up" on Friday, he said. "Might be a good idea to pre-salt tonight if you get a chance. And of course, just to keep in mind that the commute tomorrow morning might be a little bit dicey."
Freezing rain could also coat trees and power lines, which could lead to flickering lights, Vandenberg said.
A statement from Environment and Climate Change Canada warns that highways, roads, walkways and parking lots could become slippery and utility outages might happen.
"Mercifully, as the day progresses tomorrow, temperatures will rise a few degrees above 0 for southeastern Newfoundland. So those icy conditions will taper off as the day progresses," said Vandenberg.
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