Sask. residents urged to prepare for approaching blizzard

Saskatchewan residents are being urged to prepare for a spring storm that is expected to bring blizzard conditions to the province.

A Colorado Low pushing up from the United States is set to create heavy snowfall and gusting winds in southern Saskatchewan, starting on Tuesday.

SaskPower is preparing for possible outages, with crews and material on standby.

Despite recent outages in southwest Saskatchewan, SaskPower said it has “ample resources” to address any potential issues caused by the storm.

“With storms that feature high wind speeds and heavy precipitation, there is always a possibility of downed lines,” a SaskPower spokesperson said in an email to CTV News.

Downed power lines and outages can be reported by calling 310-2220. Anyone who discovers downed power lines or damaged power infrastructure should stay at least 10 metres away from it.

Tips for navigating power outage can be found on the SaskPower website.

Red Cross Saskatchewan is encouraging residents to prepare for possible power outages. In a tweet, the organization said to have at least three days of emergency supplies, ensure flashlights have working batteries and to know where municipal shelters are located.

Blizzard warnings were implemented in the southeast corner of the province on Tuesday morning, including areas surrounding Estevan, Weyburn, Carlyle, Oxbow and Moosomin, according to Environment Canada.

These areas are expected to see snowfall accumulations of 30 to 50 centimetres between Tuesday and Friday. Wind gusts of 70 to 90 km/hr are also expected to reduce visibility during times of snow and blowing snow.

The City of Weyburn has been preparing for whatever the storm might bring.

“As a city, we obviously were prepping for spring and had moved all of our equipment over to spring works, so we’ve actually gone back and we’re putting the winter blades back on just so we are prepared,” Jennifer Wilkinson, the director of engineering with the City of Weyburn, said.

“We always have people on call but we basically will prep all of our staff to be on call in the emergency situation.”

She said the city, and its emergency services, are asking residents to stay off the roads as much as possible.

“Stay home. Don’t travel if you don’t have to,” Wilkinson said. “If it’s too bad for you to be going out, we don’t want to put any of our staff or the emergency services out there if we don’t have to.”

Estevan Fire Rescue asked members of the community to stock up on needed supplies and medications before the storm.

“Power outages are likely, and rural areas should be prepared for extended outages,” Estevan Fire Rescue said in a Facebook post.

It also warned that fire crews may not be able to respond to emergencies for an “extended period of time.”

Other areas outside of the blizzard warnings are also expected to see blowing snow. Regina could receive 15 to 25 centimetres of snow, while Yorkton could see 20 to 30 centimetres.

CTV Regina meteorologist Bradlyn Oakes said for parts of Manitoba and southeast Saskatchewan, the storm has the potential to be the most significant in decades.

“A lot of people are comparing it to the storm of 1997 where, in Manitoba, they had massive amounts of snow followed by a quick thaw leading to flooding,” Oakes said.

“There’s still a little bit of model variation on if areas of southeastern Saskatchewan could see even more than 50 centimetres of snow and that is still a possibility, so we’ll be watching it over the next couple of days and it’s going to last for over 48 hours.”

Environment Canada said widespread highway closures are a “near-certainty.”

Saskatchewan RCMP is encouraging drivers to delay travel during the storm if possible.

Police are asking drivers to remember to scrape all snow and ice from vehicles and slow down on slippery or snowy roads.

“If you become stranded on the highway, do not leave your vehicle. Turn on your vehicle periodically to warm up, but try to conserve fuel,” RCMP said in a news release.

“Make sure your tailpipe remains clear of ice and snow, or carbon monoxide could potentially seep into your vehicle.”

RCMP also encouraged drivers to consider stocking their vehicles with extra warm clothes, candles, matches, non-perishable snacks, a snow shovel, traction mats, booster cables and a tow rope or chain.

“Travel is expected to be extremely hazardous due to reduced visibility. Rapidly accumulating snow will make travel difficult,” Environment Canada said in an alert.

Updated highway conditions can be found on the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline.

In light of the storm, the Government of Saskatchewan is encouraging residents to have a 72-hour preparedness kit ready.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said an emergency kit should include food, bottled water, medications, a flashlight, a radio, extra batteries, a first aid kit, candles and matches, hand sanitizer or moist towelettes, important papers, extra car keys and cash, a whistle, zip-lock bag and garbage bags.

The government is also reminding residents to download the SaskAlert app, to receive public alert notifications.

“Environment Canada is the agency responsible for issuing all types and levels of weather-related alerts, including advisories and special weather statements, watches and warnings. However, weather alerts that have potential to affect life and safety will be distributed through SaskAlert,” the province said in a news release.

CITY OF REGINA PREPARATIONS

The City of Regina is not expected to be hit quite as hard by the storm, but Oakes said it could see up to 20 centimetres.

City crews are prepared to act as soon as it begins with about 50 pieces of equipment ready to disperse.

“During a snow storm, the crews work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We focus on high speed, high volume roads - plowing the snow on those roads and applying ice control to ensure traffic keeps moving and everybody is safe,” Tyler Bien, the manager of roadways seasonal operations with the city, said.

Bien said the city is still within its winter maintenance shift, so equipment did not have to be adjusted like it did in Weyburn. He said the city is still fully staffed in the same way it was all winter.

The city had been working on street sweeping over the past few weeks. Bien said that will be put on hold.

“When the conditions improve and it warms up and all the snow is melted, we will proceed with the spring sweeping,” Bien said.

Bien said residents are asked to avoid using roads as much as possible until the snow passes.