Thousands without power as snow moves into Manitoba
Up to 10 cm was expected in parts of western Manitoba on Wednesday
Manitoba Hydro has extra crews responding to outages across the province as a result of snowy weather moving though the province.
As of 5:45 p.m., more than 17,000 customers were in the dark. Manitoba Hydro spokesperson Bruce Owen said customers can expect problems throughout the afternoon as the weather system moves east.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mboutage?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mboutage</a> Conditions are challenging. Even as repairs are being made, tree branches continue to fall on our lines. In some parts of the province, icy roads are also making travel difficult. Know our crews are working hard to get the power back on for you.
—@manitobahydro"The problem with the weather coming in is we have moisture, ice, rain forming on our lines and causing outages," he said. "The additional problem is a lot of foliage is on the trees. We have that ice on leaves, on branches. With that extra weight, we're seeing trees coming down on lines, causing problems as well."
Manitoba Hydro tweeted a video of a fire caused by those conditions near Meadows School in Brandon.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mboutage?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mboutage</a> Wet snow and freezing rain can weigh down our lines and become a hazard. Very scary situation in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Brandon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Brandon</a> near Meadow's School. If you see a downed line like this, please stay clear and call 911 <a href="https://t.co/a8gRRnE1Ex">pic.twitter.com/a8gRRnE1Ex</a>
—@manitobahydroHydro said power in Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Carman had been restored Wednesday afternoon.
Between five and 10 cm of snow is expected in the Brandon area by the time the snow is all said and done. Rain and wet snow began falling in Winnipeg Wednesday afternoon.
Owen said areas around Neepawa, Russell and Riding Mountain National Park were hit hardest by the weather.
The weather also prompted Parks Canada to close Highway 19, on the east side of Riding Mountain National Park.
Snow plows were out in the Brandon area Wednesday afternoon. The Trans-Canada Highway was reported as ice-covered and partly ice covered Wednesday afternoon. Other highways in the area were reported as being snow covered, according to Manitoba 511.
Roads are not good. This is just south of Hamiota. My camera mount recorded this: <a href="https://t.co/qp4vYPKOrH">pic.twitter.com/qp4vYPKOrH</a>
—@CharlesTweedA slower go on Hwy 1 this afternoon. Reduced visibility, snowy and slushy. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcmb?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cbcmb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bdnmb?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bdnmb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mbstorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mbstorm</a> <a href="https://t.co/yxaFckiA6L">pic.twitter.com/yxaFckiA6L</a>
—@RileyLaychukIn Brandon, the city tweeted that crews would be out sanding, addressing "hot spots" of ice and snow accumulation on city streets.
A note for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BdnMb?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BdnMb</a> motorists that Streets & Roads crews will be out later this afternoon & overnight with sanders in order to address any "hotspot" areas of ice build-up on hills/at intersections. Watch for our heavy machinery & be safe out there, folks! <a href="https://t.co/ncrhX7Bgta">https://t.co/ncrhX7Bgta</a>
—@CityBrandonThe snow is expected to taper off through Wednesday.
