ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – The numbers are adding up on what’s been a brutal winter in Atlantic Canada.
Kevin Rice oversees road and sidewalk clearing in Saint John, N.B., and says this is one of the worst winters anyone can recall.
Over the last five years about 2,700 truckloads of snow were hauled away on average each winter in the city. Rice says it’s at about 33,000 so far for this year.
MORE: See Moncton’s mountainous snow pile from a drone’s perspective
Parts of Prince Edward Island, western Newfoundland and southeastern Labrador have also been buried.
Environment Canada says snowfall in Charlottetown from October to the end of February was 384 centimetres, when typically, it’s 218 centimetres.
In Cow Head, N.L., a volunteer weather observer reports 548 centimetres of snow compared to the usual 260 centimetres.
On the water, thick ice is adding to severe weather delays for ferry services.
Darrell Mercer of Marine Atlantic says dozens of crossings between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have been affected since January, with an economic impact that’s tough to estimate.
Comments