Travel advisories in effect as vast region of southern Sask. hit with snow

The province experienced its first full taste of the 2022 winter season on Sunday, with snow falling over a vast swath of southern Saskatchewan.

According to weather statements from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) the City of Regina can expect 10 to 15 centimetres of snowfall, continuing through Sunday and lasting until Monday morning.

Late night rains on Saturday transitioned to heavy, wet snow that began to fall Sunday morning, ECCC explained.

Strong northerly winds are accompanying the snowfall and ECCC advises drivers in the Regina area to be wary of decreased visibility while travelling through the snowfall.

TRAVEL NOT RECOMMENDED

The Saskatchewan Highway Hotline has issued alerts across southern Saskatchewan, warning of icy, slippery and wet conditions on highways ranging from the Alberta to Manitoba borders.

At 11 a.m. on Sunday, the Highway Hotline reported that Highway 1 east of Regina and Highway 6 to the south were both subject to winter conditions with icy and slippery sections mixed with wet sections subject to freezing.

Weather conditions west of Regina on Highway 1, northwest on Highway 11 as well as northeast on Highway 10 were reported as worsening. The Highway Hotline advised that travel was not recommended due to slush, drifting snow and reduced visibility.

The “travel not recommended” warning ranged from Regina’s western city limits to the town of Chaplin on Highway 1. The warning also ranged from Balgonie to Wolseley in the east. On Highway 11, the travel advisory extended all the way past Lumsden towards Bethune. On Highway 10, the warning extended to Fort Qu’Appelle and its surrounding area.

As of 12:30 p.m., Highway 1, as well as Highway 2 near Moose Jaw have been closed due to zero visibility, slush, and drifting snow.

Up to date information about the latest road conditions in the province can be found here.

SLOW DOWN

The Regina Police Service (RPS) released an advisory Sunday morning, reminding drivers in the Queen City to adopt good winter driving habits with the arrival of the season’s first snow.

The habits listed by Regina police included:

Reduce speed on most roadways.

Allow for more stopping distance and apply your brakes carefully.

Give more room between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.

Give yourself more time to reach your destination.

Make sure to clear all snow off of your vehicle.

Be informed, check weather forecasts and the highway hotline before embarking on a trip. If conditions deteriorate, stay where you are.

RPS reported that officers had responded to “a number of minor vehicle collisions and vehicles sliding off of roads and into ditches” prior to sending out its advisory.

However, there were no reports of injuries connected to these incidents, RPS said.