Heavy snowfall wallops southern Manitoba, forcing school, highway closures

A fast-moving Alberta clipper swept through the province Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, forcing school and highway closures and bringing heavy snowfall. Some of the hardest-hit areas could see up to 30 cm before conditions gradually improve later in the day.

According to Environment Canada, southern Manitoba could receive up to an additional 15 cm on Wednesday, adding to what fell the day before.

The Interlake–Riding Mountain region has been hit the hardest so far, with totals expected to reach around 30 cm by the end of the storm.

In Durban, located northwest of Duck Mountain Provincial Park near the Manitoba–Saskatchewan border, 13.2 cm had already fallen by 9 a.m., with more snow still on the way.

Portage la Prairie recorded about 9 cm, while nearby High Bluff saw around 8 cm.

The system is forecast to move out of the Red River Valley by Wednesday morning, linger over western Manitoba, and then shift eastward later in the day.

Winnipeg had received about 5 cm by Wednesday morning, with another 5 cm expected. Snowfall was predicted to be heavy at times early in the day before easing off.

There is also a 60 per cent chance of light snow or rain later in the afternoon in Winnipeg, with flurries tapering off by around midnight.

The snow isn’t expected to stick around for long in the city, with temperatures forecast to rise to about 6 C on Friday and climb into the double digits over the weekend.

Meanwhile, due to the weather and road conditions, all schools in the Border Land, Evergreen, Hanover, Interlake, Lakeshore, Lord Selkirk, Mountain View, Prairie Rose, Red River Valley, Seine River and Swan Valley school divisions were closed for the day.

The Franco-Manitoban School Division cancelled classes for the day at Aurèle Lemoine (St. Laurent), Plaine Days (Laurier). Saint-Georges, Lagimodière (Lorette), Pointe des Chênes (Ste. Anne), Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Sainte-Agathe, Saint-Joachim (La Broquerie), Réal-Bérard (St-Pierre-Jolys), and Gabrielle-Roy (Île-des-Chênes).

The storm also forced a number of highways to close down due to poor winter driving conditions and poor visibility.

At 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure announced in a news release the following highways had been closed: Highway 10, from Cowan to Ethelbert and Highway 20, from Cowan to Winnipegosis.

Highways that remained closed include: Highway 5, from Ochre Rive to Grandview; Highway 10, from the North Entrance of Riding Mountain National Park to Pine River; Highway 20, Ochre River to Fork River; Highway 20, from Fork River to Winnipegosis; and Highway 276, from the junction of Highway 269 to Skownan.

These closures are due to poor winter driving conditions, and poor visibility, the province said in the release.

Two people were injured in a crash that closed Highway 3 east of Carman on early Wednesday morning.

RCMP said the crash occurred just after 6:30 a.m. about 3 kilometres east of Carman, southwest of Winnipeg.

The highway was closed following the collision, but Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure announced shortly after 11 a.m. it had been reopened.

RCMP said details about the collision, including its cause, are still under investigation. No update was given on the injured individuals.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca