Neck guard sales jump after Sask. hockey player slashed by skate
10h ago
More adult players are now investing in the protective equipment.
It was hardly scientific, but Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang’s description of Wednesday’s storm was quite accurate.
“That southeast corner is really getting smacked,” Lang said Wednesday afternoon.
The storm that earlier had been described as “historic” hit the southeast with heavy snow and high winds, forcing businesses to close early and some highways to be shut down.
“It’s a large storm,” said Norm Mack, Estevan’s roads and drainage manager. “It was hyped up and it looks like it’s living up to its expectations.”
Much to his chagrin.
Mack had been watching the U.S. Weather Service’s forecast and had been following reports from North Dakota, so he knew it could be bad — if it even hit Estevan, that is.
“Last night, we thought we were on the fringe of it; it was going further east,” Mack said. “But this morning for some reason, that whole storm system is heading north-northwest and we’re pretty close to the eye of the storm.”
Lang said conditions were worse the closer people were to the Manitoba and United States borders. That area could see 50 centimetres of snow and winds of up to 90 kilometres per hour, with the amount of snow and the speed of the wind tapering off as one headed north and west.
Mack couldn’t estimate how much snow had fallen in Estevan, but he knew it was significant.
“It looks like more snow than we’ve had all winter, so you can imagine that,” he said. “The upside to it is this area could have used more precipitation (after last summer). It was dry, so this may be a blessing in disguise for agriculture.”
But not for drivers. Having been out on the highway earlier Wednesday, Mack said there appeared to be a foot or more of solid snow on the road.
He noted there were people on the city’s streets, but traffic was pretty thin.
“As the day progresses, the snow is getting heavier and the wind’s higher so even within the City of Estevan limits, it’s zero visibility in a lot of open areas,” Mack said. “The snow is accumulating where cars and vehicles are now getting stuck at intersections.”
He noted the commute will be bad for people who drove to work in the morning, but city crews will be doing what they can to help out.
“We’ve been out since the wee hours of the morning with all of our equipment and contractors,” Mack said. “Right now, we’re just attempting to keep the roads open.
“We’re not in a cleanup operation as of yet. It’s storming so bad that we’re just trying to maintain roads for emergency vehicles to pass through.”
Lang said the most intense snow will fall Wednesday and then will ease off over the next two days.
The storm should “slowly weaken and pull out towards the end of Thursday,” Lang predicted, as the snow stops falling and the winds die down.
Asked if it’s common to see storms like this at this time of year, Lang said the heaviest snowstorms typically happen in the spring and fall.
“Those warmer temperatures can hold a lot more moisture and when it combines with that lurking Arctic air to the north, that’s a combination for a good snowstorm,” she said. “We saw thunderstorms and tornadoes just south of the border and here we have snow just to the north.”
When the storm finally abates, Mack and his crews will be looking for help to clean up the mess in Estevan.
“It’s going to be large,” he said of the effort. “Mind you, we’re well into April here and we’re hoping Mother Nature helps us with some warmer temperatures to get rid of some of this snow.
“We’ll attempt to move as much as we can (and) push it to the sides but keeping in mind it is April and we’re hoping the sun helps us out.”
The photos below were submitted by Estevan resident Karen Goudy.
— With files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick and 650 CKOM’s Justin Blackwell