Howling winds and snow hammer Prairies, snarling Thanksgiving travels
Powerful winds and the season's first snow swept across the Prairies Monday, making for a messy Thanksgiving on the roads.
Prairie travellers hoping for a peaceful Thanksgiving Monday were instead met with a wall of wind, snow and rain as a powerful low-pressure system ripped through the region.
The system, which tracked from Alberta to Manitoba, brought the season's first taste of winter weather and a harsh one at that.
Very strong winds swept across Manitoba on Monday as the storm moved toward Hudson Bay, with gusts reaching 87 km/h in Estevan, Sasks. and 85 km/h in Brandon, Man.
The blustery conditions gradually subsided in the afternoon, but not before causing travel headaches and power outages in several communities.
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'Coolest Thanksgiving Monday in years'
Following the system, temperatures plummeted across the western Prairies, making Thanksgiving Monday in Calgary the coldest since 2016.
The blast of Arctic air brought mixed precipitation to many areas, including snow in the west and heavy rainfall further east, signalling the end of the balmy early October weather.
Southern Alberta experienced its first lower-elevation snowfall of the season, with 3.8 cm in Sundre and a light 1.3 cm in northwest Calgary.
Farther east, the storm dumped heavy rain on Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with Wynyard recording 45.4 mm, Regina 25.7 mm and The Pas topping the charts at 61.6 mm.
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A rare late-season storm
The system was powerful enough to cause thunderstorms across the eastern Prairies, an unusual occurrence for mid-October.
Communities such as Swan River, Man. (52.5 mm) and Moose Jaw, Sask. (29.8 mm), were drenched, showing a rare late-season hybrid storm — part fall rainmaker, part winter preview.
While winds are expected to subside and temperatures to level off by midweek, the storm served as a chilling warning of what's to come. Prairie residents may want to keep their shovels close by, as winter clearly did not wait for an invitation.
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