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Regina's Cornwall Centre was hit by damage from the storm on Jan. 14, 2021 (Dominick Lucyk/980 CJME)

Massive winds up to 143 km/h rip through Saskatchewan

By CJME News Jan 14, 2021 | 7:03 AM

It was a case of hold on to more than your hat Wednesday night as a windstorm whipped through the province.

Environment Canada confirmed there was a gust of 143 kilometres per hour, a new provincial record.

(Video courtesy of Victor Fok)

“The winds were extremely strong. Out towards Bratt’s Lake, just south of Regina, they received the strongest wind gusts of 143 kilometres per hour. The Regina university reported a wind gust of 126 (km/h) and at the airport in Regina (there were) wind gusts of 115 (km/h),” Environment Canada meteorologist Mike Russo explained.

“Unfortunately, the sensor went offline at the peak of the storm, probably due to a power outage in the area. That’s true for a number of our sensors. They actually went down because there were numerous power outages that occurred overnight. There were a lot of places in Saskatchewan overnight that wind gusts over 100 km/h.”

Damage was obvious in Regina as tree branches, garbage cans and other debris laid strewn across many streets and snow drifts, particularly in exposed areas.

The City of Regina confirms the wind is believed to be the culprit behind damage to the BMO walkway on 11th Avenue.

Insulation and wires can be seen hanging from the underside on the south side of the structure.

An investigation is underway to find out the cause, extent of the damage and a temporary fix put in place.

The damage outside the Cornwall Centre turned some heads.

When asked if she had seen anything like it before, one woman was stunned.

“No, never. That’s amazing, all the insulation hanging down and there is debris all along the street there,” she said. “I’m at a loss for words.”

A man was surprised by the sight, but he figured it was about time there was some severe weather in the city.

“I’ve heard about some other winter storms in the province. Saskatoon got hit a little while ago. Now it’s our turn — not that that’s how weather works,” he said with a laugh.

The Prairie Valley School Division cancelled classes at all of its schools.

A power outage forced the cancellation of morning classes at Regina’s St. Gregory School, but classes were back on by the afternoon.

(Brett Estey/Twitter)

A winter storm warning was up for areas around Hudson Bay and Porcupine Plain.

Saskatoon and surrounding area in the northern grainbelt saw the largest amounts of snow overnight. Amounts aren’t yet known, but Russo suspects he will see 10 to 15 centimetres of snow in the worst-hit areas.

According to the Highway Hotline, the Trans-Canada Highway was open from the Manitoba border to the Alberta boundary. However, travel was not recommended in some areas around the province, most notably in the southeast.

The stormy weather is expected to continue Thursday.

“The heaviest snow is closer to the Manitoba boundary … But visibility has improved in most areas and while the wind has diminished slightly, the wind gusts are now down to 70 (km/h) but it will likely remain that way for the remainder of the morning. I suspect we’ll continue to see blowing snow in the region for some time yet,” Russo explained.

Storm chaser Greg Johnson was out and about and, judging by his Twitter feed, saw plenty.

 

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