Ain't no low like a Greenland high: Gloomy stretch of weather expected to continue this week for Avalon
April has been a tough month of weather on the Avalon Peninsula, and an ever-present high pressure system hanging over Newfoundland means it likely won't improve any time soon.
The dreary days are impacting more than people's moods — they're also causing havoc for travellers trying to get in and out of the province.
Both arrivals and departures at St. John's International Airport have seen cancellations connected to the weather. A total of 16 flights have been impacted since Saturday, said St. John's International Airport Authority CEO Dennis Hogan.
"We had a very extreme combination of low visibility due to the rain, drizzle and fog. But also, at the same time, we had very high crosswinds across the runway," Hogan told CBC News Monday.
"That would impact some of the larger aircraft more so than some of the smaller ones … given that they are lighter and able to land in, say, slightly windier conditions."
CBC N.L. meteorologist Ashley Brauweiler said the system travelled from Greenland and is leaving parts of Newfoundland in a consistent northerly flow and a blocking pattern in the upper atmosphere. It's expected to keep skies grey and cloudy for some time.
"Looking at the long-range guidance, I don't see much change in the pattern. We may see a brief break early next week, then right back into northerlies," Brauweiler said Monday.
"This is great news for icebergs but not so much for our weather along the northeast coast."
The combination of rain, drizzle and fog can be a downer, say some who live through it each year.
"I don't like it. My God give me the sun, give me the heat, give me a beach. Anything but this weather. It's ridiculous," one woman told CBC News on the streets of St. John's.
"I think we're going to be in for a really hard summer. But Newfoundland got to keep up the good spirit, right?"
WATCH | Here's how people in St. John's are feeling about the recent weather:
Visitors to the province are arguing they're getting the authentic Newfoundland experience with the cloudy conditions, adding it's all a part of visiting this corner of the world.
"Wet, foggy, a bit sad," one traveller from London said of the current conditions.
"I still feel happy, and I still love it here, but it just makes everyday activities a bit harder. … I'll roll with the punches of whatever Mother Nature wants to dish out."
Even the province's only professional hockey team is hung up by weather delays.
The Newfoundland Growlers announced Monday playoff games against the Adirondack Thunder are rescheduled as both teams are unable to travel.
Their next showdown, in the ECHL's North Division semifinal, is now scheduled for Thursday. Subsequent games will be played on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday if necessary.
