BLOOMFIELD, P.E.I. — “Just wait,” SaltWire Network meteorologist Cindy Day said Wednesday afternoon when it was noted that the wind from the latest winter storm still wasn’t very strong over Prince Edward Island.
Reporting from Halifax, Day said the wind had already picked up to gusts of 75 km/h there and was heading this way.
The difference, she explained, was that the centre of the storm was then situated over Prince Edward Island and the wind was bound to pick up as the storm moved along.
“The closer you are to the advancing low, the lighter the wind. As it starts to push through, the wind picks up.”
In the meantime, the snow was piling up, on its way to 20 to 30 centimetres across P.E.I.
Public schools across the province, along with UPEI and Holland College, did not open Wednesday. Many government services were also closed for the day, and many businesses either didn’t open or closed early.
The Confederation Bridge had posted advisories that the forecasted wind from the storm could result in restrictions to high-sided vehicles between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., but trucks were still crossing shortly after 1:30 p.m., when the wind speed out of the east-southeast was being recorded at 15 kilometres per hour, gusting to 19 and on an upward trend.
See below for a live look at the Confederation Bridge:
Kevin Coughlin, shift dispatcher at the government garage in Summerside, said the wind speed was already averaging 31 km/h early afternoon and was expected to hit 60 later in the day.
“We might be dealing with a little more (visibility challenges) once the wind picks up a little bit.”
At that point, though, snow-clearing equipment was still out across the province and traffic was moving, although visibility was starting to decrease.
Queens County dispatcher Jack Devine described visibility as “just fair.” Roads across P.E.I. were snow-covered.
Health P.E.I. reported a long list of cancellations along with advisories urging Islanders to call ahead before heading out to any scheduled appointment.
“You’ll probably see gusts to 80 (km/h) through the evening,” Day said.
She remained confident in the snowfall totals.
“I was expecting to get 20 to 30 (cm) across the Island. I think that’s what it’s going to be like before it all wraps up.”
The western end of the province would get almost entirely snow, but Day said some patchy freezing drizzle would hit parts of the central and eastern portions of the province.
The wind was forecast at southeast 70 with gusts nearing 80 km/h near dusk and then shifting to southwest and west overnight with gusts to 70 to 80 by sunrise. Visibility could still be an issue today.
Day said another system moves in late on the day Friday, bringing small amounts of snow by evening before turning to rain leading into a mild Saturday.
See more from Cindy Day, including her Valentine's Day forecast on you local weather page
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