Stay off the roads, that’s the word from city police, RCMP and the Highway Hotline. The Trans Canada is still closed between Regina and Rush Lake, just east of Swift Current. Highway 11, the main highway between Regina and Saskatoon, is closed from Regina to Davidson. Davidson is about 113 kilometres south of Saskatoon.
City streets are in no better shape with many side streets quickly becoming impassible. Mitch Riabko, Transit Manager at Saskatoon Transit, confirmed that all transit buses have been temporarily pulled from their routes and a final decision on whether to shut down will be made later in the day. 12 buses are currently stuck on city streets. Access Transit has pulled all their buses for the day.
Saskatoon police have responded to numerous fender benders around the city and are advising motorists to slow down and use caution. They advise everyone to stay home and not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary.
MD Ambulance is also having troubles dealing with these road conditions. “Today’s weather has caused us a lot of grief,” says Troy Davies, going on to state that even ambulances have been getting stuck on city streets responding to calls. The Health Bus is not running today because of the conditions.
No word yet from the city if a Snow Route Temporary Parking Ban will be put in place, but it is usually put into effect if the snowfall is more than 7 centimetres.
At the airport, most arrivals and departures are on time, but some flights have been cancelled or delayed.
STC has cancelled several buses and most others are arriving late at their destinations, including Greyhound.
Taxis are busy but expect to wait 90 minutes to two hours for a cab.
The strong storm system that pushed in from the United States has brought widespread snow throughout the southern portions of the province. Between 10 and 15 centimetres of snow has fallen so far and in Saskatoon, an additional 2 to 4 centimetres is expected today. An additional 10 to 15 centimetres of snow is possible in other areas over the next 24 hours, primarily in the Melfort-Nipawin area.
Strong winds gusting up to 80 kilometres/hour have created blizzard conditions in the southern regions, especially along the Trans Canada highway down to the international border. All southern regions, including Regina, Moose Jaw and Swift Current are under a blizzard warning.
Environment Canada is saying that the snow should taper off Sunday evening but the strong northerly winds will be bringing in a cold air mass. The winds are expected to diminish on Monday.
And a word of caution from MD Ambulance before heading out to shovel all this snow. “We are asking everyone to take their time shoveling this snow; we had one individual yesterday go into cardiac arrest after shoveling.”
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