Blizzard cleanup proceeding slowly on P.E.I. in wake of storm
It will be late evening or early tomorrow morning before things will be fully clear, province says
The cleanup from Monday's blizzard is in full swing but will take some time after the storm dumped at least 40 centimetres of snow between midday and midnight and poor visibility forced plows off the road overnight.
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With the predicted winds for Tuesday night it will be late evening or early Wednesday morning before things will be fully clear, the province said.
Although the province pulled plows off roads overnight because of poor visibility, some ended up helping with some dramatic emergency calls.
'Busiest night in years'
A spokesman for the Department of Transportation called Monday the "busiest night in years" in terms of the demand for emergency escorts. Plows assisted emergency vehicles at a major fire in Vernon River and with the delivery of three babies.
In Prince County freezing drizzle made road conditions slippery, while in Queens county blowers are pushing back snow to widen lanes. Some secondary or side roads were still not open late Tuesday afternoon, and crews will likely be working on those into Wednesday, officials said.
Flurries and blowing snow over exposed areas with winds from the north of 40 km/h gusting to 70 resulted in poor visibility in some areas Tuesday.
Preliminary reports show up to 40 cm snow, winds of 98 km/h
Preliminary reports from Environment Canada reported snowfall of 40 centimetres at the Charlottetown Airport, 36 centimetres in Bonshaw, P.E.I., and 20 centimetres in Borden-Carleton, P.E.I.
"There's no place to put it!" said Terry MacDonald as he shovelled snow in Charlottetown Tuesday afternoon.
Recorded wind speeds were up to 98 km/h, as recorded at the Charlottetown Airport:
- East Point: 93
- Charlottetown Airport: 98
- Summerside: 85
- North Cape: 83
- St. Peters: 70
- Harrington: 82
- Stanhope: 65
Good night for snow clearing
Winds had died down as of Tuesday evening, noted CBC P.E.I. weatherman Kevin "Boomer" Gallant, and would diminish even further by Wednesday morning.
He also predicted sunny breaks across the Island and flurries, especially in eastern P.E.I., and temperatures rising to -1 C. Snow and wind are already in the forecast for Wednesday night into Thursday, adding another 15 to 25 centimetres of snow.
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With files from Island Morning