For snowplow operators in P.E.I., digging out customers has been a seemingly never-ending mission this winter.
While it seemed at first that P.E.I. would escape with a mild winter, that changed in February and hasn't gotten any better.
Driver Brendan Phillips, of Griffin's Snow Removal in the Cornwall area, estimates about 180 hours have been spent blowing snow.
"This is the worst I've seen it for coming all at once," said Phillips. "It's just crazy because you go at it every day, come home for a couple hours of sleep and then go back at it.
While a typical run consumes about half a tank of fuel, Phillips noted his tractor used about three full tanks alone when cleaning up the 80 centimetres that fell on Feb. 15.
While the past two weeks have been reasonable on P.E.I., Phillips filled his tractor up again on the weekend in preparation of Sunday's blizzard.
Environment Canada meteorologist Ian Khan said Charlottetown measured 32 centimetres received by Sunday evening, which was likely similar across the province.
Drifting was also bad, with winds reaching gusts up to about 70 to 80 km/h.
Those blizzard conditions were expected to continue into Monday morning, with the province likely receiving another 10 to 25 centimetres.
For Steve Dickieson, owner of Steve's Snow Removal Ltd., it's been a winter he could of done without.
"No question, it's probably the worst February I've had in 26 years," said Dickieson, who has 18 units operating in the Charlottetown area.
With visibility being an issue, Dickieson's drivers spent much of Sunday focusing on seniors complexes in case of emergencies.
Dickieson and Phillips both said clearing driveways during high winds is often counter-productive.
"The wind just blows everything back in behind you, some people don't realize that," said Phillips, who added that it's usually during those times when roads are still covered. "Then you get people trying to get out who really don't need to be. They're getting stuck and you have to stop, help them and endanger yourself."
RCMP advised all Islanders to stay home on Sunday, with provincial plows also being pulled off many roads.
One factor Islanders often forget is that reduced visibility also presents hazards to the plow drivers.
That often leads to confusion and Dickieson said he tries to work with the city and province to communicate why lanes and roads aren't cleared until after the worst weather has passed.
Dickieson also pointed to other issues that can slow down removal, such as working around fire hydrants.
"Those little issues can sometimes make a big difference," he said. "It's pretty frustrating, as soon as the snow stops people want to be out immediately and they (plow drivers) just have to take their time.
For snowplow operators in P.E.I., digging out customers has been a seemingly never-ending mission this winter.
While it seemed at first that P.E.I. would escape with a mild winter, that changed in February and hasn't gotten any better.
Driver Brendan Phillips, of Griffin's Snow Removal in the Cornwall area, estimates about 180 hours have been spent blowing snow.
"This is the worst I've seen it for coming all at once," said Phillips. "It's just crazy because you go at it every day, come home for a couple hours of sleep and then go back at it.
While a typical run consumes about half a tank of fuel, Phillips noted his tractor used about three full tanks alone when cleaning up the 80 centimetres that fell on Feb. 15.
While the past two weeks have been reasonable on P.E.I., Phillips filled his tractor up again on the weekend in preparation of Sunday's blizzard.
Environment Canada meteorologist Ian Khan said Charlottetown measured 32 centimetres received by Sunday evening, which was likely similar across the province.
Drifting was also bad, with winds reaching gusts up to about 70 to 80 km/h.
Those blizzard conditions were expected to continue into Monday morning, with the province likely receiving another 10 to 25 centimetres.
For Steve Dickieson, owner of Steve's Snow Removal Ltd., it's been a winter he could of done without.
"No question, it's probably the worst February I've had in 26 years," said Dickieson, who has 18 units operating in the Charlottetown area.
With visibility being an issue, Dickieson's drivers spent much of Sunday focusing on seniors complexes in case of emergencies.
Dickieson and Phillips both said clearing driveways during high winds is often counter-productive.
"The wind just blows everything back in behind you, some people don't realize that," said Phillips, who added that it's usually during those times when roads are still covered. "Then you get people trying to get out who really don't need to be. They're getting stuck and you have to stop, help them and endanger yourself."
RCMP advised all Islanders to stay home on Sunday, with provincial plows also being pulled off many roads.
One factor Islanders often forget is that reduced visibility also presents hazards to the plow drivers.
That often leads to confusion and Dickieson said he tries to work with the city and province to communicate why lanes and roads aren't cleared until after the worst weather has passed.
Dickieson also pointed to other issues that can slow down removal, such as working around fire hydrants.
"Those little issues can sometimes make a big difference," he said. "It's pretty frustrating, as soon as the snow stops people want to be out immediately and they (plow drivers) just have to take their time.
