Snow squalls bring whiteout conditions to Saskatchewan roads

The RCMP is warning drivers about treacherous conditions on highways in several parts of Saskatchewan.

According to the Mounties, the police force has received “multiple reports of rollovers” on Highway 11 near Davidson, leaving traffic moving very slowly. Drivers in the area should expect delays, the RCMP noted.

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“Also, we’ve received reports of whiteouts in the Melville area, which are affecting visibility and road conditions,” the RCMP said in a statement.

Weather alerts from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) were in place for west-central Saskatchewan on Friday afternoon, warning of blowing snow and snow squalls moving through the region.

While snow squalls are common in many parts of Canada, they are a somewhat unusual phenomenon here in Saskatchewan.

Danielle Desjardins is a meteorologist with ECCC, and she said that while they aren’t considered rare in our province, it is interesting to see them pop up on the radar.

“I would say actually calling it a snow squall warning is fairly rare, but the snow squalls in general are not uncommon,” said Desjardins.

A snow squall generally consists of heavy snowfall, blowing snow, and strong winds. This can cause some seriously treacherous conditions on the highways, with drivers experiencing a switch from clear skies to heavy snow in only a few kilometres. They’re also often referred to as a whiteout.

Desjardins said things will improve in the province later today.

“It’s going to start improving from north to south, essentially. So we are going to start seeing some improvements, like in the Meadow Lake area early this evening, if not later this afternoon; in the southeast it’s going to be kind of later in the evening to after midnight in the southeast. But essentially, by Saturday morning, everything’s cleared out,” she said.

According to ECCC, the province should only see around a centimetre of snow.

The RCMP advised drivers to check the weather and road conditions before travelling.

In a mid-afternoon Highway Hotline update, travel was still not recommended on Highway 11  from Aylesbury to Davidson as well as on Highway 13 from Admiral to the junction of Highway 37, around Consul and Morse.

Travel was also not recommended around Kindersley, on Highway 3  from Melfort to Kinistino, Highway 6 from Silver Park to Gronlid, Highway 41 from Melfort to the junction of Highway 20), and on Highway 368 from St. Brieux to Beatty.

The same warnings were released for Highway 23 from the junction of Highway 36 to South Junction 3, on Highway 3 from Tisdale to Melfort, and on Highway 3 from Hudson Bay to Prairie River access, as well as in Big River and on Highway 40 from th junction of Highway 3 to Blaine Lake.

Warnings also covered Highway 21  from West Junction Highway 3 to Peck Lake, Highway 26 from St. Walburg to Loon Lake and Frenchman Butte Access from the junction of Highway 3 to Frenchman Butte, Meadow Lake, and Green Lake

The latest information on road conditions can be found on the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline. The latest updates on the weather alerts can be found on Environment Canada’s website.

— with files from Roman Hayter, 980 CJME

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