Howling winds, snow batter Newfoundland and Labrador

High windstore throughNewfoundland and Labrador overnight Thursday and into Friday, knocking out power in many parts of the province, cancelling ferries and closing a section of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Winds gusted to more than 150 km/h per hour in some parts of the province, and in Labrador some residents had to contend with more than 40 centimetres of snow as well.

Homes and businesses on the Baie Verte Peninsula have been without electricity since Thursday evening.

In Castor River South, on the Northern Peninsula, half a dozen homes were flooded and fishing boats were flipped over during the storm.

Residents told CBC News that a river that runs through the town overflowed due to heavy seas caused by storm surges.

On Friday morning both Newfoundland Power and Hydro crews were out trying to fix outages in many parts of the province, but the wind was impeding their work.

Merissa Wiseman, who speaks for Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, said it's beena frustrating time for people who work at the company and its customers.

"Crews have been out assessing the damage. If they see a tree on the line, they're able to cut it away from the ground. However, because of the windy conditions, they're not able to climb any poles or get into a boom truck to make any repairs," she said.

Wiseman said power was restored in some areas Thursday night, only to be knocked out again early Friday morning.

Thursday night, the Trans-Canada Highway was closed for several hours in central Newfoundland,near Lewisporte, after a tractor-trailer blew over.

In Corner Brook, high winds blew off parts of the roof at the Mamateek Inn, damaging cars in its parking lot.

In St. John's, police said gusting wind blew a man crossing O'Leary Avenue into the path of a car, causing minor injuries.

Marine Atlantic has suspended its ferry services from western Newfoundland to Nova Scotia. Crossings were set to resume Friday at11:30 a.m.