Much of N.L. under winter storm warnings as heavy snow and winds hit the coast

Christmas Day was accompanied by several weather warnings across Canada, with a forecast for a thick blanket of snow in Newfoundland and Labrador in the east and nostril-sticking temperatures in the west.

Much of Newfoundland and Labrador is under a winter storm warning, with Environment Canada calling for blizzard-like conditions and 50 centimetres of snow for the Cartwright area along the east coast of Labrador starting Thursday.

The weather agency says up to 40 centimetres of snow could fall elsewhere in the province with wind gusts reaching up to 120 kilometres an hour, resulting in poor visibility and blowing snow.

Newfoundland Power’s website showed the number of customers without electricity had ballooned to more than 5,500 as of early Friday — hours after St. John the Baptist Basilica in St. John’s cancelled its Christmas Day Mass.

Environment Canada is also warning about extreme cold in northern British Columbia and into the Yukon, with wind chill forecasted to drop to as low as -55 C in the Dawson and Whitehorse areas Thursday night.

Parts of southern Ontario are also under weather warnings, with freezing rain in the Windsor region and parts of the Greater Toronto Area expected to start Friday morning and last into the evening.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 25, 2025.