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Winds, blowing snow and extreme cold disrupt travel, close schools in N.L.

A pedestrian walks down Brunswick Street near Citadel Hill in Halifax.
A pedestrian walks down Brunswick Street near Citadel Hill in Halifax. The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan

Snow and high winds lashing western Newfoundland have closed schools, suspended ferry service and restricted travel on major highways.

Marine Atlantic crossings from Port aux Basques to North Sydney, N.S., were cancelled this morning due to stiff winds and sea conditions.

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The winds are causing blowing snow and reduced visibility, forcing the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway between exits 14 and 15 and diverting traffic through Deer Lake.

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Schools are closed in Deer Lake, Corner Brook and Pasadena, along with some on the Burin peninsula and the southern Avalon on the province’s east coast.

Environment Canada has also issued blizzard warnings for Labrador, where winds were gusting to 110 kilometres an hour and about 15 centimetres of snow was expected around Nain.

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Extreme cold was also being forecast for Labrador City and Wabush, with temperatures expected to dip to -45 Celsius.

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Click to play video: 'Horseshoe Bay in damage control'
Horseshoe Bay in damage control

Potent winds settled in on Friday, gusting to over 100 km/h in the eastern part of the island and blowing a tractor-trailer off the road on the Burin Peninsula Highway on Sunday.

(VOCOM)

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