Trans-Canada Highway heading out of Manitoba closed in both directions due to storm
Most of southern Manitoba under weather alerts as of Thursday evening
The storm bringing heavy wet snow and strong winds to Manitoba has closed the Trans-Canada Highway past the province's borders heading in both directions.
Shortly before 10 p.m. CT, the highway was closed from the Manitoba border to Broadview, Sask.
Earlier on Thursday, the Trans-Canada Highway was closed from the Manitoba border to just west of Thunder Bay, Ont., and from Falcon Lake to Ontario.
Highway 17 in Ontario is also closed at the Manitoba border. A portion of Highway 16 is closed from Highway 50 to Highway 10.
Poor road conditions have also prompted the closure Friday of all schools in the rural Prairie Rose School Division, the division said in a notice late Thursday night.
Stormy winter weather in Manitoba also caused power outages for thousands of people throughout the province Thursday.
As of 11 p.m., more than 6,600 Manitoba Hydro customers were without power due to 194 outages, according to the utility's outage map. Many of those outages were concentrated in the Interlake region and Selkirk area.
Hydro spokesperson Bruce Owen said the wet, sticky snow that started falling Wednesday is weighing down power lines and causing some to snap.
Workers are trying to restore power as quickly as possible but the weather is making it challenging since travel conditions are dicey, he said.
"It's a little slow going for us," he said.
Some customers in the Interlake and near Lac du Bonnet may not have power until Friday, he said.
Poor road conditions due to the snow also forced the closure of the Trans-Canada highway in Manitoba near the Ontario border, the province said just after noon.
In Manitoba, the highway is closed from Falcon Lake to the Ontario border.
Ontario officials closed the Trans-Canada from the Ontario border to Shabaqua, northwest of Thunder Bay.
WATCH | Blustery conditions close section of highway east of Manitoba border:
Other highway closures Thursday included Highway 10 through Riding Mountain National Park due to poor driving conditions, and Highway 1 for 1.5 km west of Highway 16, due to a motor vehicle collision.
Weather alerts blanket southern Manitoba
Heavy snow was expected to continue for most of the southern half of Manitoba Thursday, with much of the region under Environment Canada snowfall and winter storm warnings.
The Parkland region is still under a winter storm warning, with up to 25 centimetres expected by the end of the day.
Some areas with higher elevation closer to the Saskatchewan border may see up to 40 centimetres, the weather agency says.
Areas under a winter storm warning include:
- Arborg - Hecla - Fisher River - Gypsumville - Ashern.
- Dauphin - Russell - Roblin - Winnipegosis.
- Ste. Rose - McCreary - Alonsa - Gladstone.
- Selkirk - Gimli - Stonewall - Woodlands.
- Swan River - Duck Mountain - Porcupine Provincial Forest.
Snowfall warnings also remain in effect for many communities in southern Manitoba, including Winnipeg, Brandon and the Interlake region.
The snow continues today as winds get very strong late afternoon and evening. Gusts to 70 or 80 km/h this evening especially near the lakes. Blowing snow likely <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DriveSafe?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DriveSafe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcmb?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cbcmb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mbstorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mbstorm</a> <a href="https://t.co/iXDzhz9iXP">pic.twitter.com/iXDzhz9iXP</a>
—@johnsauderCBCEnvironment Canada issued snowfall warnings for parts of the province from the Interlake down to Sprague and the Northwest Angle Wednesday afternoon, but expanded them again early Thursday morning.
In addition to Winnipeg and Brandon, snowfall warnings now apply to these areas:
- Berens River - Little Grand Rapids - Bloodvein - Atikaki.
- Bissett - Victoria Beach - Nopiming Provincial Park - Pine Falls.
- Neepawa - Carberry - Treherne.
- Dugald - Beausejour - Grand Beach.
- Grand Rapids - Waterhen.
- Killarney - Pilot Mound - Manitou.
- Minnedosa - Riding Mountain National Park.
- Morden - Winkler - Altona - Morris.
- Portage la Prairie - Headingley - Brunkild - Carman.
- Sprague - Northwest Angle Provincial Forest.
- Whiteshell - Lac du Bonnet - Pinawa.
Winnipeg will likely see between 15 to 25 centimetres of snow by this evening, while communities in the Interlake and Red River Valley could see more than 30 centimetres due to lake effect streamers off of Lake Manitoba.
This stormy weather is expected to ease up by Friday morning.