A look at the alert map from Environment Canada shows Saskatchewan is, for the most part, out of the woods as far as the storm is concerned. Still in the woods are Hudson Bay, Porcupine Plains, Melfort, Tisdale, Nipawin, and Carrot River. They have winter storm warnings still in effect. Environment Canada says the bulk of the snow associated with a Colorado Low moving through the Prairies fell yesterday, but further accumulations of 2 to 5 cm are expected this morning in parts of east-central Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba.
Pelican Narrows, Cumberland House, and Creighton have a Snowfall warning. A long period of snowfall with total amounts of 20 to 30 cm is expected.
Heavy snow with total accumulations possibly reaching 20 to 30 cm will end this morning.
The Highway Hotline is not recommending travel on roadways between Saskatoon and North Battleford, Prince Albert, Wynyard, Kindersley, Swift Current, Regina, and Moose Jaw. There are some roads that are passable this morning. These are mostly along the Manitoba border and the Northern Alberta border but, for the most part, stay off the highways if possible. Check the Highway Hotline before venturing out.
The streets in Saskatoon are in rough shape this morning. At least the side streets are. The city says it is actively responding to the winter storm. Crews have been spreading sand and salt, plowing and grading snow on the City’s highest traffic streets. There will likely be a lot of people working from home today. Maybe tomorrow too if their residential streets don’t see a lot of vehicle traffic packing down the snow. the city says they have 18 hundred lane kilometers of roadways to clear and, while the goal is to clear the roads within 72 hours of the end of a snowfall, the city says crews may need more time to get us back to normal.
By midday Sunday, most of the priority street had been cleared but then another 15 cm of snow fell along with strong wind gusts which resulted in drifts up to 40 cm deep. It was challenging for the 200 people out working on clearing the mess away. The city says it was a balance between plowing, grading, and helping to get stranded vehicles off the roads.
Right now, the focus is on priority one streets such as Circle Drive, 8th and 22nd, and the bridges. Once the priority one streets are cleared the crews will move on to priority two roadways.
The city is asking that everyone stay off the roads if possible. The snow is waist-deep in some places. There is also the call out that residents get our sidewalks cleared as soon as possible. And if you are driving, remember that some traffic signs may still be obscured by snow.
In a release from the city Sunday afternoon at 5:40, the Saskatoon Fire Department said if residents are driving and find themselves stranded, remember:
don’t panic
stay in place with your vehicle
call 306-975-8300 and if it is an emergency call 911
Responders will be contacted and once they arrive arrangements will be made to get stranded individuals to a safe location. Responders will be contacted from Fire, Police, or Saskatoon Search and Rescue; and will be in uniforms and clearly identifiable. That was all as of about 5:40 Sunday afternoon. Monday morning, police and fire indicated they have had 108 calls for service for stranded drivers and getting hospital staff to work.
Saskatoon Transit says road conditions are significantly impacting Transit service. Service along 22nd Street, 20th Street, 8th Street, Idylwyld Drive, McKercher Drive, Clarence Drive, and Attridge Drive will be maintained. Customers are reminded to check the Saskatoon Transit schedules to confirm the approximate time of service before venturing outdoors, and to dress for the weather in case of delays.
Storm or no storm, the city wants you to get out and vote. Today is civic election day. To facilitate safe and easy drop-off for voters during and after the winter snowstorm, the election office has announced all polling stations will accept mail-in ballots today. This is in addition to the previously announced locations. polling locations are scheduled to be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. If polling stations are affected by snowfall to the point of being inaccessible or if streets are impassible, crews will respond appropriately.
