Much of Saskatchewan is bracing for a winter storm that’s expected to whip into the province on Wednesday, bringing plenty of snow along with it.

Winter storm watches from Environment Canada were upgraded to blizzard warnings in much of central and Southern Saskatchewan as of Tuesday afternoon. The weather service noted that high winds and icy conditions are expected to make travel tricky even before the snow arrives.

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According to Brian Proctor, meteorologist with Environment Canada, the upgrade simply means we are closer to the timing of the event.

“We can take the watches and push them up to warning level, and orange tends to be more impactful than yellow in terms of what we’re looking at,” he said.

The system is expected to move in on Wednesday morning, lasting until the evening, bringing 10 to 20 cm of snow to Regina and the Trans-Canada corridor, Saskatoon and along the Yellowhead highway.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a blizzard warning was declared for much of southern Saskatoon. (Screenshot/Environment Canada)

“A strong Alberta Clipper will bring heavy snow and strong, gusty winds leading to blizzard conditions over portions of southern Saskatchewan beginning Wednesday morning,” the service said.

“There is also a risk of freezing rain throughout the day on Wednesday, extending from Leader and Kindersley, southeast towards Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Regina, Estevan and Broadview.”

Proctor said the action will start on Wednesday morning, with things intensifying by noon and lasting till the evening.

“We’ll see the blizzard conditions, the widespread near-zero visibilities, sort of developing near noon in the Regina area, a little bit earlier off to the northwest and a little bit later off to the southeast,” he said.

Environment Canada said impacted areas could see 10 to 20 cm of snow, but with the blowing winds, Proctor said it will be hard to tell exactly how much snow accumulated.

He anticipates daytime highs of -1 C on Wednesday and a drop to around -18 C on Thursday.

Proctor advised the public to keep a close eye on the weather alerts issued by Environment Canada and the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline for the latest updates on road conditions.

“Minimize your travel,” he said. “It’s (going to be) difficult driving, and that’ll become fairly widespread as the day progresses.”

– with files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick