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As another Alberta clipper roared through Saskatchewan on Friday, Mounties were forced to close Highway 11 between Davidson and Aylesbury after multiple collisions and stranded vehicles piling up on the road and in the ditches.
According to Kaitlyn Chamberlin with Saskatchewan RCMP, near zero visibility conditions are making it challenging for officers on the scene.
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“An officer I spoke to said, ‘they can’t see’. They hear from people who are traveling their brakes are seizing up, but they can’t see where these vehicles are coming from. It shows how dangerous the situation is.”
RCMP had no information about possible injuries and are again asking people to stay off the highways after two semi tractor-trailer units jack-knifed across Highway 10 on the Regina side of the Qu’Appelle Valley around lunchtime.
Police said at the time the road may be blocked until the semis are moved and anyone travelling can expect significant delays, adding that people should avoid travelling at all in southern Saskatchewan.
White Butte RCMP detachment reported the Highway 10 overpass directing travel to Yorkton is “sheer ice,” with vehicles unable to drive on it. There are multiple collisions east of Balgonie as well and there is zero visibility in many areas due to blowing snow.
The warnings from Mounties followed an advisory from Environment Canada earlier in the day about anyone thinking of driving in the area.
“Maybe put it off for 12 hours or so,” meteorologist Dave Carlesen said, saying a big portion of the snow will fall on the TransCanada highway.
Saskatchewan RCMP asked people that if travel is not essential to wait until road conditions along your route improve before driving and if travel was necessary to consult the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline about closures and the latest plow information.
The snow route sign is a blue background with a white snowflake. When a snow route is called, cars cannot park on the affected roads. (980 CJME file photo)
Snow routes declared in Regina
The City of Regina has declared snow routes in effect from 6 a.m. on Saturday until 6 a.m. on Sunday.
The city said in a news release that there is no on-street parking along the routes identified by blue signs with a white snowflake to allow crews to plow the roads from curb to curb, improving traffic flow. It also help makes sure roads are passable for emergency response vehicles.
Vehicles which remain parked on the snow route during the temporary parking ban will be ticketed and could also be towed to an adjacent block during the plow, the city added.
A fast-moving clipper
Environment Canada issued yellow advisories for southern parts of the province for blowing snow and snowfall on Friday.
Carlesen says the blowing snow and snowfall warnings are all part of a “fairly fast-moving system, another Alberta Clipper in a seemingly endless series that’s been moving across the province for the last week or so.”
Environment Canada said the snowfall probably continue on and off through most of the day in in southeastern parts of the province. (Environment Canada website/Screenshot)
“Then the winds are going to shift around to north, northwest, and sometimes gusting as high as 80 kilometres an hour. So that’s going to cause some pretty serious reductions to visibility, maybe even at times close to zero, especially this afternoon and this evening, as those winds really pick up,” said Carlsen.
Wind gusts will be more like 60 to 70 kilometres an hour Regina eastward.
“We’re probably looking at 80 kilometre an hour gusts this afternoon and early this evening,” he added.
Carlsen said the snowfall probably continue on and off through most of the day in in southeastern parts of the province.
“It looks like the heavier snow is going to be come in two bursts – first this morning until about noon. Then it’ll stop or lighten up for a couple of hours, and then this afternoon, it’s going to get heavier again,” he said.
The heaviest snow will be expected to be in an area just east and northeast of Regina, all the way to the to the Manitoba border.
“We’re thinking areas like Yorkton, Esterhazy, Broadview, Quinton, places that places in that area, and then eastward into Manitoba, can probably see, maybe 15 centimetres of snow by the time it ends tonight,” Carlesen said.
He said he says it’s fairly unlikely Regina will get freezing rain.
“There’s a really, really small chance that we’re that we’ll see some freezing rain, primarily this morning, but the main, the main concern is going to be the snow this afternoon. Now that could change right now, Carlsen said.
Saskatoon is forecast to get five centimetres of snow, but “it doesn’t look like it’s going to be as bad as it will in other parts of the province,” said Carlesen.
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