November weather causing mass disruptions, challenging month for marine services

High winds off of Newfoundland shores are causing big waves — in some cases recorded at 40 feet  — and a meteorologist says that's all due to a stalled low-pressure system that should be coming to an end soon.

Parts of the province have experienced record breaking amounts of rainfall through November but there have also been big waves. A buoy off St John's recently recorded at least one wave with a height of 12.7 metres.

"When these systems really stall, all that energy in the atmosphere, these low pressure systems have winds that circle around them and rotate around them," Marine hazards meteorologist Carmen Hartt told CBC Radio's The Broadcast.

"When a system stalled, those winds just keep going in the same places, over and over. And that energy from the atmosphere is imparted onto the ocean. And so that's what drives the waves."

As a marine hazards meteorologist, Hartt said her role includes providing the marine community with forecasts so they can make decisions regarding their jobs.

Marine Atlantic corporate communications officer Darrell Mercer said the ferry service has been plagued by rough weather all month — with 42 cancellations in November so far. But the number of cancellations includes both weather and mechanical problems.

"It's a high number and the weather is the primary driver of that," Mercer told CBC News on Wednesday.

"November is traditionally a challenging month for us. It's the weather systems that we see coming through, you know, they are getting more severe. They're lasting longer."

He said captains are also seeing persistent southeasterly systems that are causing significant bad weather in the Cabot Strait.

It's also impacted its customers, he said, as poor weather in addition to mechanical issues with MV Leif Ericson have led to a backlog for the company's commercial customers.

"Oftentimes we're at the mercy of Mother Nature and this month has been particularly challenging," said Mercer.

The threat of weather disruptions is something ferry services regularly face in the fall and winter, he added.

"That's going to be inherent in everything that we do simply because we live in the North Atlantic. It's a challenging place to operate and the weather conditions don't always co-operate," Mercer said.

What to expect

Hartt said the forecast is predicting a shift in the weather system.

"Instead of having one system sort of cutting off and stalling and having the same weather every day, it does look like we'll start to see more of an active pattern, but we'll still see lots of weather," she said.

However, Hartt added, Newfoundland is also moving into its stormiest season.

"I wouldn't expect to see the waves build, but I'm sure we're in for some mixed precipitation events and some strong winds as we transition from fall to winter in the next month," said Hart.

For Marine Atlantic, Mercer says he's hopeful that the wild winds are going to ease off.

"Our fingers are crossed that December will bring better weather, especially for those who are traveling for the holiday season," he said.

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.