Saskatchewan and Manitoba RCMP say they’ve dealt with hundreds of calls for service since blizzard conditions hit the province Wednesday.
The winter storm, which continues to push through the southern parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba Thursday, had led to dozens of collisions across the Prairies.
Saskatchewan RCMP said between 4 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday, it received 82 reports of vehicle collisions and 25 different weather/traffic-related reports.
“These were reports of tractor-trailer units unable to drive up a hill, icy roads that need to be sanded and vehicles pulled over on the side of the road to let the weather pass,” the RCMP said.
“A note that the numbers don’t reflect possible vehicles stuck/abandoned or collisions RCMP officers happened upon while responding to other calls for service.”
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Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday, it said it had received 29 reports of weather-related incidents which included collisions and ditched vehicles. One of those collisions Wednesday involved three semi-trucks, and one driver died, an RCMP spokesperson told reporters Thursday afternoon.
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Regina police also said it has dealt with 24 collisions over the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Manitoba RCMP said they received 11 reports of vehicle collisions and 20 stranded drivers overnight. In the southern portion of the province, many roads are closed, including sections of the Trans-Canada Highway and the Perimeter Highway surrounding Winnipeg.
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Winnipeg police have advised motorists to avoid road travel and stay home, and schools in many areas are closed, as are the University of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba and RRC Polytechnic.
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Police are reminding drivers if they are commuting, drive to the road conditions and give themselves extra time to get to their destination.
Blowing snow and gusty winds will begin to taper off Thursday as the storm moves into north-central Ontario and into Quebec; winter storm warnings have been forecast with up to 30 centimetres of snow expected.
Across the northern regions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, Environment Canada said Arctic-like temperatures are pushing the mercury lower to roughly -45 to -50 C, with the wind chill.
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On Wednesday, the strong Alberta Clipper kept police busy in Alberta, dealing with dozens of weather-related collisions due to the very icy conditions.
One major route in Alberta saw police respond to a widespread pile-up and delay involving 80 to 100 cars, closing the Queen Elizabeth II Highway between Calgary and Airdrie for hours.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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