Why does Asian Carp make Trump think of Mark Carney?
Murray Wood ponders the question raised after Donald Trump insulted the Prime Minister in the middle of a random social ...
With nearly a foot of snow expected to fall in Saskatoon between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, the city said its road crews are getting ready to respond.
Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for Saskatoon – along with large parts of the province – on Tuesday. According to the weather service, 15 to 25 centimetres of snow could hit the city, making road conditions treacherous.
In an update on Tuesday afternoon, Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist, Danielle Desjardins, offered some slight adjustments to the original forecast.
Read more:
- Winter storm set to bury parts of Saskatchewan in snow
- Alberta clipper bringing up to 40 cm snow to southern Saskatchewan
- Canada wins speed skating gold in women’s team pursuit
She estimated Tuesday night’s initial storm will bring roughly 15 to 20 cm, or roughly 8 inches, of snow to Saskatoon.
For Regina, the city will see that snowfall amount sit around 25 cm or roughly 10 inches throughout Tuesday night.
Saskatchewan, generally, will also see some strong winds over the next day or two. Desjardins said the southeast, specifically, will see the biggest impact.
“The winds are quite a bit stronger in the Wascana basin in southeastern Saskatchewan — we’re seeing gusts of 80 to 90 kilometres an hour,” she said.
She said that a mix of both snow and wind could make for a dicey few days of road conditions.
“Both cities could see some periods of blowing snow and near zero visibility, and with the rapidly accumulating snow,” she said. “Expect very poor travel conditions.
“If you can delay travel, do so,” Desjardins advised. “If you must go, check the Highway Hotline for the latest road conditions and leave enough time to get to your destination safely.”
“Travel will likely be challenging,” Environment Canada said in a statement. “Road closures are possible. Local utility outages are possible. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions.”
Saskatchewan bracing for ‘challenging’ conditions
As of 8 p.m. on Feb. 17, the Highway Hotline showed snow and low visibility impacting conditions on most roads throughout Saskatchewan.
Travel was not recommended on many highways throughout central Saskatchewan and around Regina, including the Regina Bypass. Highway 11 between Regina and Lumsden is also listed as travel not recommended by the Highway Hotline.
The City of Saskatoon said its road crews will be out on the streets during the storm, with sanding trucks ensuring drivers can find grip on icy stretches and graders clearing snow from priority routes.
“Drivers are asked to watch for blue and amber flashing lights on road maintenance equipment and give operators the room they need to work safely,” the city noted in a statement
“Saskatoon Transit will monitor and adjust service as needed; however, service can be delayed or interrupted by collisions, blown-in streets and bus stops that are not accessible due to snowfall and drifts.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the City of Regina said it had up to 100 employees and roughly 46 graders at its disposal to use during the storm, which also includes private contractors.
James Colangelo, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said as much as 35 cm of snow could fall in some parts of the province, with road and highway conditions expected to deteriorate as the storm barrels into Saskatchewan, dropping visibility to zero in some areas.
“That could make your rush-hour commute home tonight really, really treacherous,” said Colangelo.
“Expect really treacherous driving conditions. If you’re out on the roads, really be careful. Keep a large following distance behind the car in front of you, because that snow will be blowing quite a bit.”
After the storm moves out of the province, temperatures are expected to drop, bringing an end to the late-February warm spell experienced across much of the province in recent days. Saskatoon can expect a daytime high of -20 C on Thursday, according to Environment Canada, followed by a high of -19 C on Friday.
The latest updates on the weather alerts can be found on Environment Canada’s website, and current road conditions can be accessed via the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline.
–with files from 980 CJME’s Abby Zieverink and 650 CKOM’s Roman Hayter
