Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 6, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba A4 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I CANADA / WORLD MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 Severe weather destroys trees, sends small buildings tumbling into ocean Powerful storm slams Newfoundland S T. JOHN’S, N.L. — Massive waves slammed Newfoundland and Lab- rador’s coastline on Sunday, as a powerful winter storm left thousands without power, tore down trees and house siding and sent small buildings tumbling into the ocean. Ian Gillies, reached over the phone from Brigus South — a community along the coast about 60 kilometres south of St. John’s — says he was blown away by the rough waters and pounding waves. “We’ve been here about 14 years and this is by far the highest surf we’ve seen,” he said in an interview Sunday. “The waves crashed over the break- water. And an island where normally people walk out to, that I would say is 20 or 30 feet above sea level, it had waves crashing over that as well.” Large rocks are being swept on to land, covering some roadways. “The plows that are normally doing snow, they’re pushing rocks off the streets,” Gillies said. Rob Carroll, an Environment Canada meteorologist stationed out of Gander, N.L., said the “very powerful” low pres- sure system that made its way through the region brought wind speeds be- tween 100 and 120 kilometres an hour in many areas, and as high as 135 kilo- metres an hour on the Bonavista Pen- insula. Along with the wind, the coastline has been hit with “some very high waves, pounding surf crashing into eastern and northeastern Newfoundland,” Car- roll said. “We’ve seen little buildings right along the coast that have been pulled into the water or flooded, some water coming up over roadways, pushing a lot of rocks across some roadways along the shore… a lot of downed trees, some shingles and siding ripped off houses,” he said, adding that the extent of the damage will become clearer in the next 24 hours. Pictures and videos on social media show flooding in the St. John’s area, wind damage to the facade of a down- town pub, debris and rocks that have been washed up on land and waves pounding the coastline. As of 5 p.m. local time Sunday, more than 8,000 Newfoundland Power cus- tomers were in the dark. Environment Canada has issued weather warnings for the majority of Newfoundland and parts of Labrador, with messy weather forecast through the day into this morning. Western Newfoundland was expected to see around 10 centimetres of snow along with 80 kilometre-an-hour winds, which could result in poor driving con- ditions and low visibility on roads. Similarly, poor visibility was ex- pected in the area surrounding Port aux Basques, where up to 15 centimetres of snow was expected along with 100 kilo- metre-an-hour winds. In the St. John’s area, the weather agency called for rainfall between 20 and 40 millimetres which could result in localized flooding in low-lying areas. In eastern and northeastern New- foundland, Environment Canada warned of wind gusts between 90 and 120 kilometres an hour, which the weather agency warns could cause damage to roof shingles and windows. — The Canadian Press PAUL DALY / THE CANADIAN PRESS The historic Outer Battery area of St. John's, N.L., was heavily impacted by the storm Sunday. Thousands were left without power in Newfoundland-Labrador. Heavy snow brings widespread disruption across U.K. and Germany LONDON — Heavy snow and freezing rain brought widespread disruption across Europe on Sunday, particular- ly in the U.K. and Germany, with sev- eral major airports forced to suspend flights. With the weather remaining inclem- ent through Sunday in the U.K., there were concerns that many rural com- munities, particularly in the north of England, could be cut off, with up to 40 centimetres (15 inches) of snow on the ground above 300 metres (985 feet). The National Grid, which oversees the country’s electricity network, said it had been working to restore power. Outages were reported in the English cities of Birmingham and Bristol and in Cardiff, Wales. Many sporting events were expected to be postponed, though the heavy- weight Premier League fixture be- tween rivals Liverpool and Manchester United went ahead, following an in- spection at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium and of local conditions. Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport had to close run- ways overnight Saturday, but returned to normal Sunday. Leeds Bradford Air- port took longer to get flights back in the air. The road network was heavily im- pacted too on what would have been a very busy day with many families re- turning home from the holiday break, and students heading back to school. Many roads had been preemptively closed by local authorities, but strand- ed vehicles and collisions caused dis- ruption elsewhere. A number of U.K. train services were cancelled, with National Rail warning of disruption continuing into the work- ing week. Britain’s main weather forecaster, the Met Office, said sleet and snow would continue to push north on Sunday and would be heaviest in northern Eng- land and into southern Scotland. Af- ter experiencing freezing rain, which occurs when super-cold rain freezes on impact, the south was expected to turn milder. The Environment Agency also issued eight flood warnings across southern England on the Taw and Avon rivers. Snow and ice also caused havoc in Germany, where a bout of wintry weather spread from the southwest. Authorities issued black-ice warnings for drivers and pedestrians, advising people to stay home where possible. Frankfurt airport cancelled 120 of its 1,090 planned takeoffs and landings on Sunday, according to the Fraport press office. At Munich airport, only one run- way was open while the other one was being cleared. In Baden-Wuerttemberg, eight people were injured when a bus skidded off the road near the town of Hemmingen. Long-distance train connections also experienced irregularities in the Frankfurt area. — The Associated Press PAN PYLAS AND MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Heaviest snowfall in a decade possible in parts of U.S. MISSION, Kan. — A blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures stirred up dangerous travel conditions in parts of the central U.S. on Sunday, as a disruptive winter storm brought the possibility of the heaviest snowfall in a decade to some areas. Snow and ice blanketed major road- ways in nearly all of Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the state’s National Guard was acti- vated to help any motorists who were stuck. At least 8 inches (20 centimetres) of snow were expected, particularly north of Interstate 70, as the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Kansas and Missouri, where blizzard conditions brought wind gusts of up to 45 mph (72 kph). The warning extended to New Jersey for to- day and into early Tuesday. “For locations in this region that re- ceive the highest snow totals, it may be the heaviest snowfall in at least a dec- ade,” the weather service said. Gary Wright wore a parka as he and his husband chipped away at a thick coating of ice on his SUV Sunday in a slippery apartment parking lot in Mis- souri. Wright said he will work remote- ly for the University of Missouri-Col- umbia today, but wanted to scrape off his vehicle as an excuse to spend a little time in the snow. He’s also in the mar- ket for boots for their two older dogs, who “won’t budge at all” when their paws hit the cold ground. The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole. People in the U.S., Europe and Asia ex- perience its intense cold when the vor- tex escapes and stretches south. Studies show a fast-warming Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing fre- quency of the polar vortex extending its icy grip. In Indiana, snow fully covered por- tions of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to plead with motorists to stay off the roads as plows worked to keep up with the pace of the precipitation. “It’s snowing so hard, the snow plows go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again,” Sgt. Todd Ringle said. Roughly 10 inches (25 centimetres) of snow had fallen in parts of Kansas, with snow and sleet totals predicted to top 14 inches (36 centimetres) for parts of that state and northern Missouri. In Kentucky, Louisville recorded 7.7 inches (19.5 centimetres) of snow on Sunday, a new record for the date that shattered the previous mark of 3 inches (7.6 centimetres) set in 1910. Lexington, Kentucky, also set a snowfall record, with 5 inches (12.7 centimetres). Parts of upstate New York saw 3 feet (0.9 metres) or more of snow from a lake effect event expected to have last- ed through late Sunday afternoon. The storm was forecast to move into the Ohio Valley and reach the Mid-At- lantic states later Sunday and today, with a hard freeze expected as far south as Florida. Damaging winds brought down trees across the Deep South. The weather service issued tornado warnings Sun- day in Arkansas, Louisiana and Missis- sippi. Hundreds of car accidents were re- ported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car was hit on Interstate 65. At least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri, that state’s highway patrol said. Highways in northeastern Kansas were closed due to “impassable” con- ditions, according to the state’s Trans- portation Department. The closures included roughly 354 kilometres of the state’s main artery, Interstate 70, from the Missouri border into central Kan- sas. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who declared a state emergency ahead of the storm, said state buildings would be closed today. “We see far too many wrecks out there for people that do not have to be on the roads, so I want to ask: Stay in- side. Stay safe with your family,” the governor said. Virginia State Police reported at least 135 crashes as the storm entered the state Sunday. A handful of injuries were reported. In Charleston, W.V., where sever- al inches of snow had fallen by Sun- day night, authorities urged motorists to stay home. The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were re- sponding to crashes and 911 calls coun- tywide. “Please be patient if you have called 911 for assistance. A deputy will call you or respond to you as soon as possible,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. The storms caused havoc for the na- tion’s passenger railways. More than 20 cancellations were planned on Sunday, 40 for today and at least two for Tues- day. “If local authorities are telling people not to travel, it’s counterintuitive to try to run a full slate of services when people are being told to stay home,” Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said. The Midwest was hit especially hard. A train between Chicago and New York and several regional trains between Chicago and St. Louis were among those cancelled Sunday. Nearly 200 flights in and out of St. Louis Lambert International Airport were cancelled, according to tracking platform FlightAware. Starting today, the eastern two-thirds of the country will experience danger- ous, bone-chilling cold and wind chills, forecasters said. Temperatures could be 7 to 14 degrees Celsius below nor- mal. In Chicago on Sunday, temperatures hovered in the teens (minus 7 to 10 C) and around zero in Minneapolis, while dropping to 11 below (-11.7 C) in Inter- national Falls, Minn., on the Canadian border. The Northeastern states are more likely to experience several days of cold following what has mostly been a mild start to winter, said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weath- er Service in Gray, Maine. A plume of cold air coming down from Canada is likely to result in a cold but dry week, he said. The cold air will likely grip the east- ern half of the country as far south as Georgia, Palmer said, with parts of the East Coast experiencing freezing tem- peratures and lows dipping into the sin- gle digits in some areas. The National Weather Service pre- dicted 8 to 12 inches (about 20 to 30 centimetres) of snow for the Annapolis, Maryland, area. In a statement on X, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm and encouraged residents to vote before the state’s special elections on Tuesday. Similar declarations were issued in Kansas, Maryland, West Virginia and in central Illinois cities. School closings were likely to be widespread today. Districts in Indiana, Maryland, Virginia and Kentucky were already announcing cancellations and delays on Sunday afternoon. Kentucky’s Jefferson County Pub- lic Schools cancelled classes, extra- curricular activities and athletics to- day for its nearly 100,000 students. The day would have been students’ first one back after winter break. “This is a traditional snow day with no online learning,” the district an- nounced. — The Associated Press PATRICK WHITTLE AND BRIAN WITTE TRAVIS HEYING / THE WICHITA EAGLE Cyclists travel through downtown Wichita, Kan., during a severe winter storm on Sunday. ;