Winter back in full force in Saskatchewan, with heavy snow and strong wind gusts
Environment and Climate Change Canada issues several warnings
Winter is back in full force in Saskatchewan, with heavy snowfall and frigid wind chills in many areas of the province.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has winter storm warning in effect for areas of central Saskatchewan including Saskatoon, Prince Albert and the Battlefords.
An Alberta clipper tracking eastward is expected to bring 10 or more centimetres of snow to the region and strong wind gusts of 70 kilometres per hour, according to the national weather agency.
"It's moving fairly quickly and is expected to move out of the province throughout the day. [There are] quite strong winds associated with this, so lots of snow and blowing snow, especially across the northern greenbelt and exposed areas through central Saskatchewan," Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada said.
Poor driving conditions
Lang said visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times.
"Today is one of those days where highway travel is going to be pretty tricky just because, you know, we've got the snow, we got the blowing snow, reduced visibility," Lang said.
"So if people don't need to travel today, today is one of those days that maybe they should just stay back or consider postponing that trip."
The Saskatchewan Highway Hotline map shows travel is not recommended on many highways near Saskatoon. That includes most of Highway 11 between Regina and Saskatoon.
The map also warns of winter conditions and poor visibility on highways near Prince Albert, the Battlefords, Swift Current and Moose Jaw.
Lang said that it's not just highways that have poor driving conditions.
"There's some pretty big drifts in the city and it's making getting around the city pretty difficult," Lang said about Saskatoon.
Blowing snow advisories have been issued for parts of west-central Saskatchewan, including Kindersley and Outlook. Strong northwest winds gusting into the 70 to 80 km/h range are combining with fresh snow to produce near-zero visibility.
The national weather agency has also issued a snowfall warning for parts of eastern Saskatchewan including Canora, Kamsack and Wadena.
Environment and Climate Change Canada states those areas are expected to receive 10 to 20 centimetres of snow and wind gusts of up to 60 kilometres per hour before the clipper is expected to track eastward into Manitoba.
Quickly accumulating snow in the area could make travel difficult according to the national weather agency.
Lang said snow is expected to continue throughout the day in parts of southern Saskatchewan, but at a lower intensity that the central areas of the province.
Residents tackle piles of snow
Many people around the province woke up to a lot of snow on Monday. Derek Frerichs is one of the people in Saskatoon who was busy shoveling through the day.
"We'll get it out of the way and hopefully it peels off or stops," he said.
"It's like a losing battle though, but I'm getting it done," Frerichs added.
Lesley Fell was pleased to discover that people in her area are Good Samaritans.
"We have just a wonderful neighbour who I don't know who it is, but he comes out with his snow blower every big storm and clears the public part of the sidewalk. So I have been really pleased about that," she said.
Bill Coffin warns people to be careful as they can't see the ice anymore.
"I've fallen a couple times, just slipping on the ice and well, the driving … There's no way I'm going on the highway. I'm gonna stick around town," he said.
Shelby Wakefield missed her classes because she couldn't get out of her driveway.
"I helped the neighbour girl get unstuck from the middle of the road and figured, well, now is a better time than ever to shovel my driveway," she said.
Freezing wind chills
Lang said wind chills in much of Central Saskatchewan are expected to make it feel as low as the -30s on Monday and Tuesday night before beginning to moderate later in the week.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has also issued extreme cold warnings for parts of northern Saskatchewan including Fond-Du-Lac, Stony Rapids and Uranium City on Monday morning.
Wind chills of –45 are expected and the national weather agency recommends dressing warmly if you decide to brave the cold.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
