Highways icy with more snow on the way for south Sask.

Slushy snow that started melting Wednesday afternoon froze overnight, leaving a layer of crusty ice on the roads Thursday morning.

The Highway Hotline reported a patchwork of winter road conditions across the southern half of the province.

Highways around Kindersley, Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Regina and Weyburn all showed icy or slippery sections or wet pavement subject to freezing. There were still reports of loose and swirling snow to go along with the slippery conditions around Yorkton and Melville.

The service reported good winter driving conditions around Saskatoon and Humboldt and on Highway 11 and Highway 1 heading out of Regina.

Conditions change fast, so check the highway hotline for updates before heading out, and text 306-306 when it’s safe to do so if you see conditions other drivers should know about.

In Regina, road crews laid down salt and sand on major roadways Wednesday. The city reported that while pavement might look wet, it’s not slippery on the main streets. Side streets and residential roads were a different story with a crust of frozen slush that could leave some vehicles fish-tailing around intersections and parked cars.

According to the city, the snow accumulation was not enough to do a systematic plow so there was no need to set up the snow routes at this point. The city was sticking with salt and sand through Wednesday and into Thursday, but said they’d be starting to switch to liquid anti-icing agents once the ground freezes.

In Saskatoon, city crews were out sanding and salting main roads such as Circle Drive and Idylwyld Drive, but residential streets remained untreated, prompting a warning to drivers to slow down and give themselves extra time to get to their destinations.

More snow on the way this weekend: Environment Canada

“Over the last 36 hours or so, the Cypress Hills was the big winner with nine centimetres, Moose Jaw came in with eight centimetres, Kindersley seven centimetres, Regina had three centimetres and Saskatoon had two centimtres as well as Swift Current with two centimetres,” said Bryan Van Wilgenburg, meteorologist with Environment Canada.

There are snow flurries in the forecast for Thursday, but another big weather system is coming in Friday which could dump 10 to 15 centimetres on the southern third of Saskatchewan over the course of the weekend.

Van Wilgenburg doesn’t expect the snow to melt away anytime soon, with temperatures set to drop early next week.

“Never say never, but it does look like we’re into more of a winter pattern at least for the foreseeable future,” he said.