Different parts of the province will be looking at 10 to 40 centimetres of snowfall which began Wednesday morning and is expected to continue over the next two days.
Meteorologist Peter Quinlan, said it’s very typical for Saskatchewan to see Colorado low pressure systems sweep through in the month of April.
“We’re expecting the heaviest snow to reach the Regina area Wednesday morning and moving up toward Saskatoon Wednesday afternoon,” Quinlan said.
“That snow will stay heavy and steady through the rest of the day once it’s rolled in on Wednesday and linger into the day on Thursday with some heavier waves, especially through that southeastern corridor.”
In a press release Wednesday evening, RCMP said to avoid travel in southeast Sask., as they are responding to several collisions on Highway #1 east of Regina.
“Road conditions east of Regina to Wolseley are deteriorating rapidly,” RCMP said. “Officers are currently on scene by Wolseley where two west-bound semis have jackknifed.”
RCMP said traffic in the west-bound lanes of Highway #1 is currently stopped and will be delayed until the scene is cleared.
“This could take several hours,” RCMP explained. “Officers are reporting delays with response times and tow truck availability due to the dangerous conditions.”
The Saskatchewan RCMP are cautioning motorists check the weather forecast for road conditions and any potential closures on the Highway Hotline. If conditions are expected to be poor, consider delaying non-essential travel.
Parts of Saskatchewan are potentially looking at up to 20 to 30 centimetres of snow from east of Regina to the border. The Saskatoon area will be looking at 5 to 10 centimetres. And in the Regina area is looking at 10 to 20 centimetres of snow. The Estevan area will be hit the hardest with up to 40 centimetres of snow.
The snowfalls and blowing wind conditions causes highways to be slippery with little to zero visibility. According to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways, crews will be having to move heavier and wet snow, which is a slower process that may take more time and more passes.
“Highway crews are out and doing their best to combat nature at this point. Crews work on a priority basis, and that typically means that they work on the busiest highways first,” said Steven Shaheen, Ministry of Highways senior communications consultant.
“The real work ends, or the real work begins once the system ends, which may not actually be till tomorrow. But they’re going to do their best to maintain the system. So, I would advise that the motorist be patient and check the highway hotline for any changes.”
Inside the city of Regina, police have had a busy day responding to collisions.
“We have responded to 12 collisions since midnight, two of which resulted in minor injuries,” Regina Police said in a press release. “Three of the collisions have occurred since 3 p.m. today.”
“While we can’t attribute all of these to the weather, it is becoming extremely icy so we are asking drivers to stay home if they can and if they must venture out, to slow down and give themselves extra time. This includes tomorrow mornings commute as well.”
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