Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the late-season snowfall, warning that as much as 15 centimetres could fall in some parts of southern Saskatchewan by Tuesday morning. The heaviest snowfall is expected to hit an area stretching from Kindersley and Leader east through Regina and Moose Jaw and southeast through Estevan, Kindersley and Moosomin to the Manitoba border.

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Large parts of southern Saskatchewan were covered by a special weather statement from Environment Canada on Monday, with as much as 15 centimetres of snow expected to hit some areas. (Environment Canada)

Saskatoon isn’t expected to get nearly as much snow, with just two to four centimetres expected to hit the city by Tuesday morning.

Meteorologist Rose Carlsen said while it is a little late in the season to be getting so much snow, a snowstorm in the last week of March isn’t unheard of.

“I know a lot of people are looking forward to it being done,” said Meteorologist Rose Carlsen.

“This time of year, it’s certainly not something that we’re hoping for or looking for with this kind of snowfall,” she added.

Despite the warning issued by Environment Canada, Carlsen said it’s not yet exactly clear where the heaviest snow will fall. She said predicting the system’s path is “a little bit less cut-and-dry” than it would be if the storm had hit in the middle of winter because of factors like warmth in the lower atmosphere and the stronger angle of the sun.

“It could be a little bit farther north, a little bit farther south. We can kind of get that uncertainty sometimes with these off-season events,” the meteorologist explained.

Carlsen said highway conditions could deteriorate through the day on Monday as the storm makes its way through the province.

“It’s still important to make sure that you’re taking care when you’re traveling anytime there’s snow on the roads,” she said.

While Carlsen said the heavier snow should start to taper off on Monday evening, lighter snowfall is expected to continue overnight in some areas. But, Carlsen added, the snow shouldn’t stick around for too long after it hits the ground.

“It’ll probably melt away pretty quickly. Our highs are still going to be lingering around 0 C, a little bit above, a little bit below,” Carlsen said.

The latest updates on the weather alert can be found on Environment Canada’s website, and current information on road conditions can be found on the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline.

Environment Canada issued special weather statements on Sunday saying the storm would impact portions of southern Saskatchewan beginning on Sunday night over western areas, and spreading eastward.

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The weather service said 5 to 10 cm of snow is expected in most areas, however a heavier band of 10 to 15 cm could fall in Moose Jaw, Regina, and southeastward through Moosomin to the Manitoba border.

The snow is forecast to continue through the day on Monday before tapering off early Tuesday morning but Environment Canada said heavy, accumulating snow may impact Monday morning rush hour traffic.

Special weather statements are not an alert, but issued when weather conditions are unusual, inconvenient, or are cause for potential concern.

The snowfall could impact major highways, including Highway 1,  in the province and RCMP said motorists should check road conditions before travelling, and if poor weather or road conditions exist or are forecast, they should consider delaying travel if possible.

If travel is necessary, police said drivers should stay on roads that have recently received road maintenance. Travellers can access information on road conditions and see which roads have been plowed, salted, and/or sanded within the last two hours on the Highway Hotline map.

RCMP also asked that people avoid calling 911 or local RCMP detachments for updates on road conditions, adding that the 911 number should only be used for emergencies and crimes in progress. Using it in non-emergency situations could prevent someone with a life-threatening emergency from getting help, they said.

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Environment Canada issued a special weather statement on Tuesday, covering an area stretching from the Alberta border to the Manitoba border, including in Saskatoon, Prince Albert, the Battlefords, Yorkton, Melfort, Meadow Lake and Hudson Bay, with heavy snow expected to begin overnight on Tuesday and throughout the day on Wednesday.

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Meteorologist Danielle Desjardins said 10-15 centimetres of snow could fall by Wednesday night.

“It’s going to be a lot of snow in a short period of time,” said Desjardins.

“It’s not really a surprising situation, but of course when you get this late into March, people are pretty anxious to get over winter and get on with the spring, so it can be frustrating.”

Regina is just south of the area where the heavy snow is expected to fall, but Desjardins said the Queen City could see a mix of precipitation, with rain, freezing rain and even snow possible.

“It seems like winter is hanging on, but we just have to get through this event and the next day or two afterwards, and we’re back to above-freezing temperatures heading into the weekend and through the weekend,” the meteorologist said.

Desjardins said the heaviest snow is expected to fall around Meadow Lake, North Battleford, areas southeast of Prince Albert, and around Humboldt.

She said the wind could get a bit gusty when the snow hits, potentially causing blowing snow and interfering with visibility on the roads and highways.

“You could see some greatly reduced visibility at times, not just because the wind will be blowing around, but because the snow will be falling at a pretty fast rate,” Desjardins said.

Environment Canada advised drivers to consider postponing travel plans in order to avoid the worst of the storm.

But while the snow may be heavy on Wednesday, Desjardins said she doesn’t expect it to stick around for long.

“We’re going to see a mini cold snap post system Thursday, looking at highs below 0 C. But heading into the weekend, we get back into the warm air,” she said.

But while warmer weather is just around the corner, Desjardins said this might not be the the last dump of snow the province sees before spring begins in earnest.

“Can’t say ‘no more snow’ at this point. It’s still pretty early, but for the next week or so we’re getting back into those warm temperatures, so it will definitely feel spring like,” she said.

By Sunday, Regina is expected to reach 10 C, while Saskatoon is set to get to a high of 6 C.

The latest updates on the weather alert can be found on Environment Canada’s website, and current road conditions can be accessed via the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline.

City of Saskatoon battening down hatches

In Saskatoon, the city said its crews are ready to respond to the special weather statement issued for Saskatoon.

The large volume of snow forecasted can “quickly create challenging driving conditions, including slippery sections on high-traffic routes,” the city said in a release on Tuesday afternoon.

Plows and graders will be ready to clear snow if it accumulates on priority routes. Sanding trucks will mange icy sections.

If more than five centimetres of snow falls, the city will declare a snow event and residents can follow the city’s progress with snow grading online. Saskatoon Transit will adjust service as needed, though service may be interrupted or delayed by collisions, blown-in streets and inaccessible bus stops due to snowfall and drifts.

After the snow has fallen, crews will be ready to clear city facility sidewalks, park pathways with lighting, overpass walkways and the Meewasin Trail.

A new report from the Water Security Agency indicated most of the province is expected to see near-normal runoff this spring, but conditions varied widely.

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“We’re really seeing a difference across our province,” said Shawn Jaques, president and CEO of the Water Security Agency.

“The southwest part of Saskatchewan is going to see much below-normal runoff. Most of the province is going to be near normal, and then there’s a small pocket around Yorkton that’s likely to see above-normal runoff this spring.”

The below-normal outlook in the southwest stems from a familiar issue: a lack of moisture.

“There just wasn’t much precipitation in that part of the province,” Jaques said. “They did have some snow over the winter, but it did melt with some of those warm spells that we had.”

While a recent snowfall is bringing some additional relief, Jacques said it likely won’t significantly change the broader runoff forecast. However, it’s still welcome in an area that has struggled with dry conditions in recent years.

Elsewhere, conditions appear more stable, with most of Saskatchewan expected to fall within normal spring melt ranges. In eastern areas near Yorkton, slightly higher runoff is expected, though the agency said the risk of flooding remained low.

“As of right now, we’re not anticipating any flooding occurring on the eastern side of the province,” Jaques said. “It really does depends how quickly it melts, but we’re not expecting anything significant at this time.”

One of the more promising developments came from outside Saskatchewan. The snowpack in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, a key source of water for the province, was reported to be well above normal this year.

“What that means is we’re anticipating an increased flow in the South Saskatchewan River,” Jaques explained, noting that the added flow will also increase water levels in Lake Diefenbaker.

That could have downstream impacts on communities like Saskatoon, where low water levels and silt buildup have been ongoing concerns.

“It really does depends how much water comes out of the mountains,” Jaques said. “If there’s spring rain along with that melt, it can increase flows, which would have an impact on any silt buildup.”

The Water Security Agency said it is still too early to determine whether additional water releases from Lake Diefenbaker would be needed this year, noting that decisions will depend on how much water flows into the reservoir during the melt.

“It’s a little too early to say that for sure,” Jaques said, “but it is looking more promising, just because of that higher-than-normal snowpack in the mountains.”

Another runoff report is expected in early April as conditions continue to evolve.

–with files from 650 CKOM’s Lara Fominoff

But shovelling can sometimes lead to serious injuries, according to Adrianne Vangool, a Saskatoon-based physical therapist and yoga therapist with Vangool Wellness. During an appearance on The Evan Bray Show with guest host Tamara Cherry on Wednesday, Vangool said she sees a wide range of injuries related to shovelling snow, including damaged wrists, shoulders and backs.

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“Because it is a full-body activity and because we’re Canadians and from Saskatchewan, we’re used to doing it, so we don’t think about the load or the intensity of the activity,” Vangool said.

Listen to the full interview with Vangool:

Make sure to stretch

Vangool said moving large amounts of snow is a real workout, making it important for people to stretch beforehand.

“Unless you’re doing a lot of that in the gym already and you’re warming up and preparing your body to move that kind of a load, to all of a sudden go from the couch to shovelling that amount in one go is quite strenuous on the body, so you can see why there is that opportunity for injury,” Vangool said.

She said that a simple “sit-to-stand” squatting exercise is a really good way to get the body warmed up before shovelling. Vangool also suggested holding the shovel sideways and doing gentle twists and rotations of the upper body.

“With the shovel sideways in both hands pressing up overhead, you’re preparing your shoulders and upper body for that type of moment,” she said.

“It doesn’t take a long time, but a little bit of warm up can really set the stage for injury prevention.”

Use proper form

Vangool said the use of improper form is another common cause of shovelling injuries.

“You often hear ‘lift with your legs,’ but actually with shovelling it’s better to push and really avoid the lifting as much as possible – certainly above the hip or chest height,” she said.

“The more that you can push it into a pile rather than lifting at all is really important.”

Protect yourself from falls

Slipping on snow or ice is another common cause of injuries in the wintertime. Vangool advised everyone to get quality footwear or grips to attach to the bottom of boots.

Vangool also said shovelling in a wide stance with bent knees puts people in a better position to prevent falling if they slip.

“You might slip, but you can catch yourself. If you’re standing upright and your knees are straight, imagine if somebody gently pushed you or you slipped your foot. You’re not in a good, active stance to correct or catch yourself,” she said.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, or to help someone out

Vangool said it’s important to help out members of the community or household who might not be able to do the work themselves

“Lean on your neighbours,” she said.

“If there are people around who have a snowblower or younger kids around, it is a great form of exercise.”

She said helping a few neighbours with their shovelling means you can probably skip a trip to the gym. ]]> https://www.cjme.com/2026/02/20/listen-physical-therapist-explains-how-to-avoid-hurting-yourself-while-shovelling-snow/feed/ 0 https://www.cjme.com/2026/02/19/residential-plow-coming-to-regina-next-week/ https://www.cjme.com/2026/02/19/residential-plow-coming-to-regina-next-week/#respond Fri, 20 Feb 2026 01:40:32 +0000 Daniel Reech 2026-02-20T15:31:22+00:00 https://d559.cms.socastsrm.com/?p=955428 Daryl Massier, the city's seasonal roadways operations manager, said crews had cleared 85 per cent of Regina's main roads as of Thursday. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME) Regina city workers are continuing to make progress in clearing snow following the snowstorm from earlier this week.

According to Daryl Massier, Regina’s roadway seasonal operations manager, crews had managed to clear 85 per cent of its Category 1 roads as of Thursday afternoon and roughly 30 per cent of its Category 2 roads.

Category 1 roads include Albert Street, Lewvanm, Arcola Avenue, Vitoria Avenue and Rochdale, while Category 2 roads include 13th Avenue, Elphinstone Street, Broadway Avenue and Regina Avenue.

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Massier said Regina received between 20 and 25 centimetres of snow from the snowstorm, triggering a residential plow that he expects to take place sometime early next week.

“Thankfully, the snow that we were supposed to get on Tuesday night wasn’t nearly as bad as what they predicted, so we were able to kind of get ahead of it a little it and then we had all of our graders in on the next day to help with those conditions,” Massier said during a virtual media event on Thursday.

The 25 cm of snow exceeds the largest recorded amount that the city received last February, at 17 cm. However, Massier said workers were well-equipped to handle it.

“We generally gear up for the expected amount. We were expecting the full 25, so we were ready for it,” he said. “It really doesn’t change our approach, whether it meets that threshold of five centimetres of snow, or all the way up to 25 centimetres of snow – it’s the same process.”

Massier said the city dedicated a special focus to some neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the city, which were particularly vulnerable to wind and blowing snow.

“With the amount of snow and the wind, there were obviously some of those places on the outskirts that experienced the effects,” he said, adding that graders were dedicated to those areas for that specific reason during the storm.

In the coming days, Massier asked residents to continue to respect the space of city vehicles as they complete work throughout Regina.

He recommended that drivers stay at least three and a half car lengths from city vehicles when they’re working and to not pull up to sanders at intersections.

Meanwhile, the city asked residents to remove their vehicles from the roads to help the work progress smoothly.

“Residents can sign up to receive alerts to move their cars by downloading the free Regina Sweep & Plow app or signing up for custom notifications online,” the city noted.

In Regina, eleven community associations operate Snow Angel programs with funding support from the city. The goal is to ensure people who aren’t physically able to clear the sidewalks in front of their homes are able to have them done in accordance with Regina’s Clean Property bylaw.

“They often have health issues or mobility issues, so they can’t do it,” said volunteer Irene Terashima. “But I’m fortunately still physically able to shovel walks.”

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Terashima has been volunteering for the Heritage Community Association’s program as a snow angel since it began. She has been paired with various snow buddies, for whom she shovels.

On Tuesday, Terashima picked up some ice melt at the association’s office in the Mitakuyé Owâs’ā Centre.

She said with the weather this winter so far, she’s had to make monthly ice treatment visits. Meanwhile, snow shovelling typically takes her 15-30 minutes.

“One of my snow buddies uses a wheelchair and a mobility scooter, so he has a ramp, and he’s quite active,” she said. “He still is independent, living at home, but can’t travel the walk, so I’m over there every time it snows to make sure he can get in and out of his house safely.”

Amanda Benesh coordinates the Heritage Community Association Snow Angel program, which currently has nine volunteers assisting 18-22 “snow buddies.” (Geoff Smith/980 CJME)

Coordinator says community-based system working well

The Heritage Snow Angel program relies on nine volunteers, according to coordinator Amanda Benesh. Together, the volunteers help between 18 and 22 people.

“I’d say it’s really successful,” Benesh said. “We’re receiving a lot of support from volunteers in the community, and at times we even have volunteers that are outside the community just looking to support.”

She said the city funding pays for shovels, ice melt, and even boot spikes for volunteers. During a time of budget pressure for the city, she believes this model is one that works.

“It costs a lot to run a city, and I think we have enough able-bodied people who are willing to give their time to support others who are in need,” Benesh added. “We have our snow angel recipients who reach out to us and let us know how thankful and grateful they are for the snow angels that provide them the support.”

Terashima said it gives her snow buddies peace of mind to know they won’t face a fine, and it gives her a good feeling as well.

“I’m still physically able to do it. So, yeah, knock on wood, I haven’t thrown my back out or slipped and fallen or anything like that,” she said.

Environment Canada meteorologist Kyle McCauley said mild temperatures near 0 C had been “repeating” across much of the Prairies, but conditions are expected to shift as an Alberta clipper moves in.

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Environment Canada issued special weather statements for much of southern Saskatchewan on Monday — including the cities of Lloydmnster, Regina, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and Prince Albert — saying people should expect 15 to 25 cm of snow beginning early Tuesday morning and tapering off late in the day Wednesday, with possibly reaching 30 to 40 cm locally from Meadow Lake southeastward towards Yorkton.

A number of snowfall warnings were also issued for west-central parts of the province, with the weather agency saying people in those areas should expect a “long period of snowfall” with total amounts of 15 to 25 cm beginning tonight.

Freezing rain will also be possible mainly near and south of the Trans-Canada Highway southward to the international border, Environment Canada said, adding that poor travel conditions should be expected on Tuesday and Wednesday

Once that system passes, McCauley said temperatures are expected to fall back closer to what’s typical for mid-February, “normal being in the range of like around -7 C highs,” with overnight lows “-19 or -20 C” in the days that followed.

Even with the cooler snap, he said he doesn’t foresee a plunge into extreme cold.

“It’s nothing like into the minus 30s, 40s,” McCauley said. “I don’t foresee any extreme cold warnings coming out … temperatures might get down to the low -20s in the next week or so after this front passes through.”

The shift comes after a February stretch that, in McCauley’s words, had run well above average. He said parts of southwest Saskatchewan had been especially mild, with temperatures climbing into double digits.

“We’re seeing temperatures of over 10 C today, like Leader, Maple Creek area,” he said on Sunday, calling it “pretty warm for this time of year.”

McCauley said one reason the warmth could build was the lack of snow cover in some areas. With bare ground showing, more energy could be absorbed at the surface, helping temperatures climb higher than they would over fresh snow.

“That really helps get those temperatures up even higher,” he said.

Looking back over the past month, McCauley said Regina’s recent stretch had been markedly milder than normal.

“Most of February has been significantly above average, somewhere between like seven to around 11 C, 12 C — give or take — above average,” he said, adding late January had been much colder before the pattern flipped.

And for anyone tempted to declare winter finished, McCauley pushed back.

“It definitely isn’t over,” he said, noting Saskatchewan could still see winter weather deep into the spring. “Could go into March, we see snow in April quite often, too.”

McCauley said the province was essentially heading back to a more typical February look, just without the worst-case deep-freeze conditions.

— with files by CJME News

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Environment Canada is expecting two to four centimetres of snow to fall on Monday in Regina, while Saskatoon is expected to get two centimetres.

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Meteorologist Brad Vrolijk said warm, Pacific air is moving across the Rockies and into the prairies.

“As this week progresses, especially in southern Saskatchewan, we’re going to see temperatures warm up and warm up and warm up,” he said.

Vrolijk said sunshine, clear skies and breezy, westerly winds are expected to accompany the warmer-than-normal temperatures this week.

“It’s definitely unusual warmth, and it’s going to be persistent for a while,” the meteorologist said.

Thursday is expected to be the warmest day of this week, with a forecast high of 8 C in Regina and 5 C in Saskatoon. Vrolijk said the Cypress Hills region will likely be the warmest part of Saskatchewan this week, with temperatures possibly reaching into the teens.

“It is a little unusual. For the Cypress Hills, because they are higher up they have a habit of being able to mix the air better because it’s just bumpier, so the winds get mixed more as they go over it,” the meteorologist explained. “We often see some of the warmest temperatures in the province in the Cypress Hills region.”

Vrolijk said temperatures are expected to be above normal this week in areas from Meadow Lake to Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina, and all the way down through the rest of Southern Saskatchewan.

“The normal daytime highs around now are generally around -8 C or so, so we are looking at like 10 to 15 degrees above normal later this week for temperatures,” he said.

He added that no major cold spells are expected for at least a couple of weeks in southern Saskatchewan.

“The first two weeks of February won’t always be above zero, but we are looking at seasonal to above-seasonal temperatures for the first half of the month for pretty much all of southern Saskatchewan,” Vrolijk said.

However, he added, winter weather and frigid temperatures aren’t all in the rear-view mirror quite yet.

“I know it can be easy to think, ‘Oh, is this going to be the end of winter?’ Temperatures of -30 C are still going to exist in the far northern prairies. They’re not going to be that far away. I would suggest enjoying it while it lasts. All it’s going to take is one good low-pressure system to make that surge south, and we’ll be back in the deep freeze,” he explained.

“I certainly wouldn’t rule out another cold snap later in February, early March for the region.”

RCMP said in a news release that officers were dealing with two collisions on Highway 1, west of Belle Plaine, where a semi jacknifed and another collision near Caronport as well as a number of other traffic-related incidents and highway closures.

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A stretch of Highway 7 in west-central Saskatchewan was closed Saturday afternoon after multiple crashes involving semi-trailers and maintenance vehicles.

Travel is not recommended in the region, with the provincial highway hotline reporting widespread icy conditions from Rosetown west toward Delisle.

The Montrose Volunteer Fire Department said in a social media update Highway 7 between Delisle and Laura was closed. Emergency crews reported numerous vehicles in the ditch, including several semis and highway plow trucks.

Flight delays in Saskatoon

In Saskatoon, the freezing rain caused havoc at the airport, grounding all departures and arrivals for several hours.

CJ Dushinski, SKYXE spokesperson, said “although the runway was actively being treated for ice, the continued freezing rain made it difficult to ensure proper conditions for airlines to operate safely.”

By 11:30 a.m. she said conditions improved enough that airlines began resuming flights in and out of the airport, however there are arrival and departure delays listed on the airport’s website, with both WestJet and Air Canada flights, to and from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Puerto Vallarta, and Cancun.

Dushinski said all passengers should check the status of their flights directly with their airline.

Warm-up causing chaotic weather

Brad Vrolijk, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, says the freezing rain developed as Saskatchewan moved out of a prolonged deep freeze.

“Big picture, we’re in a transition right now. We’ve had very cold temperatures over the last couple of weeks across southern Saskatchewan, and we have a big warm-up moving in now.”

Vrolijk says the warming trend led to mixed precipitation across much of the province overnight.

“With that warmer weather, we’ve had a mix of precipitation move through the province. Many areas have seen snow, many areas have seen freezing rain, and there’s even been some rain as temperatures climb above zero.”

He says the band of freezing rain stretched across much of Saskatchewan.

“There was a band of freezing rain that developed roughly from the Lloydminster–North Battleford corridor, southeast through Saskatoon, down Highway 11 toward Moose Jaw and Regina, and then toward Estevan.”

Vrolijk says ice-covered highways were widely reported early this morning but conditions should improve in southern areas as temperatures rise, but warns travel farther north may remain challenging.

“That will probably improve as temperatures climb above zero in the Regina area today. If anyone needs to travel farther north, it’ll be slower to warm up through those regions.”

Vrolijk says the province is moving toward a calmer, warmer pattern.

“We’re moving into a pretty pleasant pattern for the region, with much warmer temperatures expected over the next week.”

But he cautions that winter isn’t over yet.

“I’m definitely not going to say it’s the end of winter, but I think we can all enjoy a break from how cold it’s been.”

RCMP said motorists should check road conditions before travelling, and check the weather forecast, adding that if poor weather or road conditions exist or are forecast, they should consider delaying travel if possible.

If travel is necessary, police said drivers should stay on roads that have recently received road maintenance.

Travellers can access information on road conditions and see which roads have been plowed, salted, and/or sanded within the last two hours on the Highway Hotline map.

The Highway Hotline had a number of highways in the province listed as travel not recommended, represented here by blue lines) on Dec. 31, 2025. (Highway Hotline website)

RCMP also asked that people avoid calling 911 or local RCMP detachments for updates on road conditions, adding that the 911 number should only be used for emergencies and crimes in progress. Using it in non-emergency situations could prevent someone with a life-threatening emergency from getting help, they said.

Tips for safe winter driving

Travelling safely during winter driving conditions requires additional attention and skill, RCMP said. When driving on slippery and /or snow-covered surfaces or with reduced visibility, motorists should:

Slow down: Travel at a speed that allows you to keep control of your vehicle, even if this is slower than the speed limit.

Make smooth manoeuvres: Make soft, fluid movements when steering, accelerating, and braking.

Refrain from using cruise control: If you go into a skid while using cruise control, your vehicle will continue to accelerate and the tires will spin, preventing you from stopping your vehicle.

Maintain a safe following distance: Leave additional space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you, allowing for sudden stops.

Stay on main roads: Main highways are first to be cleared and travelling on them increases your visibility if you get stranded.

Use your headlights: If it is snowing or raining, drive with your headlights on at all times.

Tips for safe travelling in winter

Saskatchewan RCMP’s website suggests people take the following precautions to help keep drivers, passengers and other road users safe:

Stock your vehicle

All winter travellers should pack an emergency kit to be prepared for serious weather conditions or a roadside emergency, which should include:

• Additional warm clothing (including footwear, mittens, and toques)
• Candles and matches
• A tow chain or rope
• Nourishing, non-perishable food items (nuts, dried fruit, energy bars)
• Drinking water
• A blanket or sleeping bag
• A cellphone and charger
• A first aid kit with seatbelt cutter
• A flashlight
• A snow brush and shovel
• Traction mats, a bag of sand, or non-clumping cat litter for traction
• Booster cables
• Hand warmers
• A whistle

Before you drive

Prepare your vehicle appropriately for weather conditions by:

• Adding antifreeze to your radiator and gas line.
• Putting winter tires on your vehicle.
• Topping up windshield wiper fluid and ensuring windshield wipers are working.
• Scraping your windshield, rear and side windows, and brushing off all snow.
• Cleaning off headlights, tail lights, and signal lights.
• Clearing your heater air intake.
• Moving items away from defroster outlets inside the vehicle.
• Keeping your gas tank more than half full.
• Telling a family member or friend where you’re headed and when you expect to arrive.
• Familiarizing yourself with your route and don’t rely on GPS.

If you are stranded

If you find yourself in an emergency situation where you are stranded roadside:

Always stay with your vehicle: This is your best chance for survival and helps police locate you.

Stay warm: Periodically turn your vehicle on, but be mindful to conserve your fuel and battery. Put on your emergency winter clothing before you get cold, and use candles to keep warm if necessary.

Make sure your tailpipe remains clear: Ice and snow can block it, meaning carbon monoxide could potentially seep into your vehicle.

Get some fresh air: Periodically lower your window slightly on the side of your vehicle that is downwind, allowing for fresh air to enter the vehicle.

Be careful: When shovelling or trying to push your vehicle, do not over-exert yourself.

— with files by 980 CJME’s Jacob Bamhour, 650 CKOM’s Lara Fominoff and Jenny Hagan, WestCentralOnline

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