Snow routes declared in Regina, with up to 20 cm of snow expected

A whole lot of snow is expected to fall in Regina, prompting the city to ban parking along snow routes for 24 hours.

Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings for Regina and southern Saskatchewan, saying a storm system tracking through the northern United States is expected to bring 10 to 20 centimetres of snow to the region.

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“Light, fluffy snow will rapidly accumulate before tapering off to light flurries early Thursday morning in southern Saskatchewan and Thursday afternoon in Manitoba,” the weather service said in a statement.

“Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas.”

On Wednesday morning, the City of Regina declared snow routes, meaning vehicles will not be permitted to park on snow routes between 6 a.m. on Thursday and 6 a.m. on Friday.

“This parking ban allows crews to plow the roads from curb to curb, improving traffic flow along the busy roadways. It will also help ensure roads are passable for emergency response vehicles,” the city explained in a statement.

“Blue signs with a white snowflake identify the snow routes.”

Any vehicles parked on snow routes during the 24-hour period will be ticketed and could be towed to an adjacent block in order to allow plows to complete their work.

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