Snowstorm moving out of Sask. after dumping 10-15 cm in parts of the province
First significant snowfall of the season for most of the province, Environment Canada meteorologist says
An Alberta clipper moving eastward smacked central Saskatchewan with a dump of snow and poor driving conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Many central regions of the province have received 10 to 15 centimetres since the snow began falling Tuesday, Environment and Climate Change Canada said Wednesday.
Saskatoon's snowfall warning ended as the clipper continued to move east into Manitoba, but a few areas in east-central Saskatchewan, including Kamsack, were still under the warning as of early Wednesday afternoon.
The snow is expected to taper off Wednesday afternoon and evening, Environment Canada said.
Natalie Hasell, a warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment Canada, said this was the first significant snowfall of the season for many parts of the province, after a relatively brown start to winter.
"Some places got up to 23 centimetres of snow up to this morning, some places got as little as four, but that actually might still be more than what they've gotten in individual snowfalls up to this point," Hasell said.
"It's very much winter now."
Hasell said Outlook received the most snow in the province, with 23 centimetres, while Regina was on the lower end with four centimetres.
Roughly 15 centimetres of snow fell in Saskatoon, combining with strong winds to create heavy snow cover, drifting and reduced visibility on the city's streets and sidewalks, the city said in a news release.
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But Ben Semynov, the owner and operator at Benny's Yardworks in Saskatoon, said that he was excited to hear about the storm and was getting ready to hit the ground running Wednesday morning.
"I am happy that snow is finally falling. We can get out and get some work done," Semynov said.
"We've been out since about 4 a.m. this morning and clearing parking lots and what not," he said. "Drifts in most places, but … most of the city is, like, fairly clear already."
Semynov said this is a change from last winter. He started working at 2 a.m. on Christmas Day in 2022 and didn't stop for about 35 days after that.
The latest snowfall "is going to be a one-day thing and we'll be out of here pretty quick," he said. "But I'm definitely hoping for a little bit more snow so we can keep it up."
Travel advisories
Some communities near Saskatoon also saw significant snowfall. The Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network reported that Conquest got 12.4 centimetres of snow between 8 a.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m Wednesday, while Clavet received 10.9 centimetres.
CBC Saskatchewan weather specialist Ethan Williams said the storm system also brought high winds that made measuring difficult in many areas of the province, meaning snowfall amounts are likely higher than reported.
The travel not recommended advisories for many highways near Yorkton and Esterhazy on the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline map were removed shortly after noon on Wednesday. The map still showed winter conditions and poor visibility on those highways.
Travel was still not recommended on some highways near Kamsack.
Poor driving conditions weren't limited to eastern-central Saskatchewan, according to Ministry of Highways communication director David Horth. Crews are out across the province plowing and salting roads, he said.
"This [snowfall] was pretty widespread. It kind of got a pretty wide swath through central Saskatchewan down into the southern areas and up north of Saskatoon," Horth said.
He added it's important to check weather forecasts and the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline map before driving during winter storms. If you do decide to go out, it's important to have the essentials like a shovel, warm clothes and a charged phone in your vehicle, he said.
Environment Canada also issued extreme cold warnings for some areas of northern Saskatchewan. La Loche and Uranium City are expected to see wind chills making it feel like –45 C or colder through the rest of the week.
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The national weather agency issues extreme cold warnings when very cold temperature or wind chill creates an elevated risk to health such as frostbite and hypothermia.
While it won't be as cold in central and southern Saskatchewan, Hasell said winter has officially arrived everywhere in the province.
"We won't see temperatures above zero anytime soon, so this [snow] is definitely going to stick on the ground for a while," Hasell said.
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