Blizzard shuts down highways, every school in Winnipeg and others in province
A blizzard gusting across southern Manitoba is leaving a long list of highway and school closures, and creating dangerous conditions that have left many drivers stranded.
RCMP say they have been called by about 20 drivers who say they are in their vehicles but unable to go anywhere due to poor road conditions that quickly engulfed their paths.
Officers and tow truck operators aren't able to reach them, either, a news release from the Mounties said. Staff with the RCMP communications centre are regularly checking in via phone calls to ensure the safety of those stranded.
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"Ideally, you want to get off those roads. With that wind … visibility is next to nothing, especially when you’re outside the city on the highways. Visibility’s everything when it comes to driving safely,” said RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre.
With so many highways closed, "there's no reason to be out there," Manaigre said.
"It's a snow day. Take advantage of it and stay home."
An Alberta clipper, with winds gusting to 90 km/h, is creating a shroud of blowing snow and cutting visibility to near zero in places.
It is expected to bring 10-20 centimetres of snow across the region — with higher amounts possible in some areas — before ending later in the day.
There are also winter storm warnings in southeastern Manitoba and extreme cold warnings for the north. A detailed list of the weather alerts and areas impacted is on the Environment Canada website.
In a rare occurrence, all school divisions across Winnipeg have cancelled classes for the day: Franco-Manitoban, Louis Riel, Pembina Trails, River East Transcona, St. James-Assiniboia, Seven Oaks and Winnipeg.
The following school divisions have also shut down for the day:
Beautiful Plains.
Border Land.
Evergreen.
Fort La Bosse.
Garden Valley.
Hanover.
Interlake.
Lord Selkirk.
Prairie Rose.
Prairie Spirit.
Red River Valley.
Seine River.
Turtle Mountain.
Rolling River.
Western.
Brandon School Division buses are not operating outside the city, where the storm has closed Alexander, O’Kelly and Spring Valley schools. All other schools are open and buses are running within the city. However, attendance is at parental discretion where travel is required.
Portions of the Trans-Canada Highway are closed, along with many more around the province.
The Winnipeg Police Service posted an advisory on social media that deteriorating road conditions have closed the Perimeter Highway between Fermor Avenue and Dugald Road.
The Winnipeg Police Service posted an advisory on social media that deteriorating road conditions have closed the Perimeter Highway between Fermor Avenue and Dugald Road.
In addition, some roads within the city have become difficult to navigate due to drifts and snow cover.
"It is recommended that motorists avoid road travel this morning and shelter in place until conditions have improved," the message says.
Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway is among many closed due to the blizzard. (Jaison Empson/CBC)
Between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. Thursday, RCMP received 11 reports of crashes on highways throughout the province, as well as numerous reports of vehicles stuck in ditches.
Anyone caught driving on a closed highway could face a fine of about $200, Manaigre said.
"We do have the discretion if we want to lay that charge, but the important part is, obviously, getting people to safety first, before we look at any enforcement provisions," he said.
A complete list of travel information and road conditions is available on the Manitoba government website.
Many flights in and out of Winnipeg have been delayed or cancelled by the storm, a spokesperson for the Winnipeg Airports Authority said in an email.
Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight and not go to the airport if their flight has been cancelled.
The City of Winnipeg says garbage and recycling collection has been cancelled for Thursday and will be done Friday instead. Those with a Friday collection date will be pushed to Saturday.
The Brady Road landfill and all 4R recycling depots are closed.
Snow-clearing crews have been working on the city’s main roads since 1 a.m. and will continue replowing throughout the morning, a news release said.
Power outages
Manitoba Hydro is reporting a massive power outage in Winnipeg that extends along Pembina Highway from Fort Richmond to McGillivray Boulevard.
It includes the University of Manitoba, sections of Crescent Park and Fort Garry Industrial Park.
The cause has yet to be determined but Hydro hopes to have it restored by 8:30 a.m.
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Outside the city, St. Germain, Grande Pointe, St. Adolphe, Niverville and Ste. Agathe are also experiencing power outages.
Hydro updates are available on the utility's power outage map.
Post-secondary closures
The storm has also impacted exam time for post-secondary students.
The University of Manitoba is closed and all exams scheduled for the day have been rescheduled for Saturday.
CMU and Booth have rescheduled exams to Friday and the U of M has put them off to Saturday.
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Students unable to attend Saturday should contact faculty directly as soon as possible, the U of M said in a news release. Exams scheduled for Friday will proceed as scheduled.
The U of W hasn't announced rescheduled times yet.
All of RRC Polytech's Winnipeg campuses are closed for the day. Its regional campuses are all also closed and those classes have been moved online.
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This article, written by Darren Bernhardt, was originally published for CBC News.