ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Eastern Newfoundland is getting battered by heavy snowfall and strong winds as a powerful blizzard passes through the region.
It's expected the system will dump up to 80 centimetres of snow on the northeast Avalon by later today, with winds gusting to more than 100 kilometres an hour.
The storm is causing whiteout conditions and heavy drifting in southern and eastern parts of the province, leading to closures at the St. John's airport, schools and transportation services.
In St. John's, City Hall, its offices and recreation facilities will be closed for the morning and officials say people should stay off the roads if possible.
Police say there have been several minor accidents, and the provincial utility is reporting power outages on the Avalon Peninsula.
Flight cancellations were piling up at St. John's International Airport, where gusts were reaching 70 kilometres per hour late Thursday.
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