Sask. digs out of winter storm that stalled travel, cancelled classes

Storm warnings around the province have ended as Saskatchewan starts digging out from a blizzard that stalled travel and kept most people indoors on Sunday.

There is no confirmation about how much snow fell in Saskatchewan over the weekend, but Environment Canada will provide those details later on Monday.

Meteorologist Eric Dykes had some predictions based on reports his office has received from weather stations and posts on X, formerly Twitter.

“What we can discern is that 30 to 40-plus centimetres of snow fell around the Saskatoon area by all accounts. We look into that more as the day progresses,” Dykes said.

And while the system has officially moved out of the province, some lingering effects remain on Monday.

“I would say the areas that are going to see snow and blowing snow through the morning are Melfort, Tisdale, Kamsack, and up to Hudson Bay, east-central areas mostly,” Dykes predicted.

Lots of cars are snowed in along 8th street

Some parking lots along 8th street especially at gas stations haven’t been cleared

The street itself is clear, but take it easy it’s slippery out there! @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/iEQ1BzL53A

— Mia Holowaychuk (@miaholoway) March 4, 2024

True to form in Saskatchewan, there is no letup from the changing weather.

“You will see skies clear as the day progresses, and as a result, a ridge of high pressure will come in behind this system and clear up the skies even more so Monday night temperatures will dip, and you will see wind chills drop into the -30 or -40 range for Tuesday morning,” Dykes said.

“There could be some extreme cold warnings that will be issued, but the good news is it will be short-lived. There is a warmup coming as an area of high pressure later in the week moves by, and on the backside of it will bring in some warmer temperatures for the weekend.”

David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada, likens the snowfall amount to the 2007 blizzard that stalled the province and left many stranded. However, he noted the impact of this year’s storm wasn’t as intense.

“The good thing about these late kind of winter storms is that they hit and they don’t last that long,” he said.

Phillips says a warmer than normal spring is ahead, and there should be melting temperatures by the weekend.

Regina is in ‘Storm Mode’

In a media release Monday, the City of Regina said crews were to be out during the day to plow snow and apply ice-control materials at high-risk intersections.

The focus will be on roads that see the most traffic, as well as emergency routes and roads that are prone to blowing snow. The city declared snow routes on Sunday, meaning no on-street parking is allowed for 24 hours on those streets.

“As the snowfall ends, the City of Regina and its contracted support (approximately 50 pieces of equipment) will be deployed in a systematic plow of our Category 1, 2 and 3 roadways,” the city said.

The release reminded drivers to slow down and stay back at least 3 1/2 car-lengths from snow-clearing equipment.

Saskatoon deploys emergency response plan

The city is encouraging residents to stay home Monday to allow crews to clear roads and assist emergency services, priorities of its emergency response plan.

By midnight on Monday, the city aims to have all Priority 1 streets plowed, which include freeways, major arterials and bridges. Priority 2 streets, like Clarence and Miller avenues, are set to be cleared by noon on Tuesday.

The city plans to send snow removal crews to residential streets during the night shift Thursday.

Once residential streets are clear, crews will attend industrial areas, followed by blocked alleys.

More to come.