Hurricane Larry wallops eastern Newfoundland with strong winds storm surge

Hurricane Larry made landfall on eastern Newfoundland overnight as a Category 1 storm, knocking out power throughout St. John's and the surrounding area in a short, sharp wallop of heavy winds, torrential rains and an unexpectedly high storm surge.

Hurricane warnings that had been in place for the Avalon Peninsula were ended at around 5 a.m. NT, though wind warnings were still in effect for some areas, including the capital.

As of 3:14 NT, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h, with gusts surpassing 180km/h in exposed and elevated areas. Cape St. Mary's lighthouse reported a peak gust of 182 km/h on Friday evening.

"That is a huge, huge wind gust," CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said Saturday morning. 

About 60,000 customers lost their power in the midst of the storm. Around 10 a.m., Newfoundland Power had restored electricity to nearly 15,000 customers, leaving 46,000 still without.

The company will have its full workforce out repairing damage today, and people are advised to remain in their homes so crews can easily access damaged areas.

Mary Queen of Peace Elementary School on Torbay Road in St. John's suffered significant damage to its roof Saturday morning. (John Gushue/CBC)

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary along with the City of St. John's are requesting the public to remain off the roads to minimize any risk to public safety due to downed power lines and debris.

Metrobus Transit is following the RNC's advisory, saying buses will not begin running until the advisory is lifted. Metrobus said it will provide an update when service begins. 

Further updates related to Hurricane Larry will be announced as required.

The city said major parks, including Bannerman Park, Victoria Park and Bowring Park are staying closed due to the "significant amount of debris that needs to be removed."

Tackling major road hazards

"The priority for city crews at this time is to address streets and major road hazards," the city said in a statement. 

Starting Sunday, residents who are cleaning branches and trees from private property can drop off debris at the large gravel parking lot at Quidi Vidi Lake near The Boulevard. Robin Hood Bay Waste Management Facility is closed for commercial and residential users today.

The city is holding a media availability at 11 a.m. (9:30 a.m. ET).

A large portion of bricks on an exterior wall at Torbay Estates apartment building fell to the ground after being battered by strong winds. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)

Winds have gradually tapered off over the past few hours, but Snoddon said winds will continue to gust between 70 and 80 km/h for the morning across the east and northeast portion of the island before easing throughout the afternoon to gusts of 60 to 70 km/h with a mix of sun and cloud.

Winds will continue to ease this evening and overnight, said Snoddon, adding the forecast looks good for Sunday.

Argentia waters 1.5-metres higher than normal

The latest tropical cyclone information statement from Environment Canada said a "notable" storm surge event occurred near the Burin Peninsula and Avalon Peninsula.

The tide gauge at Argentia showed a peak water level about 150 centimetres higher than normal, the update said.

Hurricane Larry's wind gusts topped 182 km/h in Cape St. Mary's. (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

In Marystown, fire chief Justin Bolt told CBC News two homes were evacuated for a short period of time during the height of the storm due to concerns of the storm surge and high tides. Bolt said everyone is safe. 

Rain was short-lived but intense, with about 30 millimetres falling "in a very short period of time."

The statement said Larry made landfall at 1:30 a.m. NT just west of Long Harbour, N.L., on the Avalon Peninsula.

Newfoundland and Labrador's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is asking motorists to avoid the area of Route 90 near St. Vincent's. A stretch of that road was damaged overnight and remains washed out Saturday morning. 

Visible damage

Just before 3 a.m., reports on social media showed that the performance tent near Quidi Vidi Lake in place for the Iceberg Alley concert festival had suffered extensive damage.

Iceberg Alley cancelled its planned April Wine concert on Friday evening due to the storm.

Nearby, at Torbay Estates apartment building, the hurricane caused significant damage to the exterior of the building.

The building's superintendent John Brown told CBC News bricks fell off of an exterior wall around 1:30 a.m., smashing on top of two vehicles and landing in a pile.

"We had wind storms in the past and it's usually siding [damage], never brick," Brown said. 

Hurricane Larry brought a storm surge, heavy rain and high winds to the Avalon Peninsula overnight. (Jeremy Eaton/CBC)

Route 90 at St. Vincent’s on the Avalon has sustained some damage overnight. <br><br>Motorists should avoid this area at this time. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nltraffic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nltraffic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LarryNL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LarryNL</a> <a href="https://t.co/TeSe8kRvy3">https://t.co/TeSe8kRvy3</a> <a href="https://t.co/4BLvm9AQPB">pic.twitter.com/4BLvm9AQPB</a>

&mdash;@TI_GovNL

In Bay Roberts, Mayor Philip Wood told CBC News the biggest damage the town suffered was to its softball field. Wood said the field's dugouts were "completely annihilated."

Wood is asking the public to stay away from the field until it's cleared by town staff.

"To clean up around our roads and that, it will certainly take a number of days," he said.

"[It was] a nasty old night."

The Wilbur Sparkes Recreation Complex in Bay Roberts suffered damage to its dugouts. (Philip Wood/Twitter)

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