Southern Manitoba treated to — or tricked by — 1st significant snowfall of season

Southern Manitoba is dressing up as a ghost for Halloween, donning a white blanket of snow, and it's handing out a bagful of cold temperatures. 

After one system brought a helping of winter to western Manitoba earlier in the week, a second system moved in from North Dakota on Thursday night and spread through the southern Red River Valley and east to the Whiteshell area.

Environment Canada had earlier issued a snowfall warning covering the southeastern corner of the province, but it was lifted around 10 a.m.

Brian Luzny, a meteorologist with the weather agency, said there isn't likely to be much more accumulation on Friday.

"The heaviest snow has pushed out of the area for now, but lingering flurries might last for the rest of today into the early evening," he said. 

"But that would be a bit more sporadic and a little less intense."

Most of the snow has shifted into northwestern Ontario, where the City of Kenora has cancelled its bus service as well as its garbage and recycling curbside collection due to the conditions.

The impact on Winnipeg was varied and really depends on where someone lives in the city. Anywhere from 5-12 centimetres fell, Luzny said Friday morning.

Across southern Manitoba, total amounts of 10-20 cm are expected by the time the system has fully moved out. The highest amounts will be near the international and Ontario borders, the snowfall warning says.

"At this time, we don't have a ton of reports in yet," Luzny said.

Streets and highways could be a little slippery until road-clearing crews get to them, but visibility shouldn't be a problem. Unlike snow dumps of light fluffy stuff, which can be whipped up by winds and reduce visibility, this snowfall was wetter and heavier, and there's little wind to stir it up, Luzny said.

Brad Milne, a spokesman for Manitoba Highways, said there are a lot of snow-covered highways across the south.

"We have crews out right now. They're doing the best they can to keep the roads open," he said. "If people are going to be on the highways, just to drive with caution."

Manitoba Hydro reported multiple power outages affecting customers in central and southeastern Manitoba. About 4,500 customers were listed as being without electricity as of 9:30 a.m.

The largest single outage, affecting nearly 1,300, was in the Steinbach area. Another 600 were impacted in an area northwest of Richer.

Detailed information, including estimated restoration times, can be found on Hydro's website.

The next phase of the weather system, now moving in, is cold air. A high of zero is forecast for the Winnipeg region on Friday, followed by highs of –4 C through to Halloween next week.

That's normally the overnight low for this time of year, with daytime highs of 6 C.

Road construction halted 

This dump of snow is putting a damper on the myriad road repair projects crews are trying to wrap up in Winnipeg before winter sets in. 

Typically, the road construction season finishes in mid-November, but can end early if the weather doesn't co-operate, said Manitoba Heavy Construction Association president Chris Lorenc.

"We're not happy that there is the amount of snow that there is, but that's something that no one can control," he said. 

Over the next couple days, contractors will be waiting to see if the snow stays put or melts away, as that will influence whether certain projects can be completed this year or not, Lorenc said. 

"I think every contractor would like to finish its work this season," he said. 

"Nobody likes to carry over, because carryover involves a cost that probably wasn't anticipated and that takes away from the profitability."

If a road project can't be completed due to the weather, then the contractor will have to ensure the street surface is safe to travel on and monitor it over the winter months, he said.