| Comments | A series of slow-moving winter storms impacted Newfoundland on March 1-2 and March 11th. Although hurricane-force winds were recorded during the March 1-2 storms, it was the March 11th storm that was the most notable. This storm, also called the Brier Blast, recorded wind gusts of up to 190 km/hr at Bay de Verde in the Avalon Peninsula. In St. John’s, the city had to replace 142 traffic lights which affected 72 intersections. Newfoundland Power reported that 70,000 customers were impacted by power outages. The high wings uprooted trees, tore off roofs and brought down power lines and traffic lights. There were 4,500 claims and $60 million in insurable losses. |