Westman hunkers down for blizzard

Environment and Climate Change Canada is warning people to stay off the roads this morning after a blizzard was expected to pummel the region starting Wednesday evening.

The city of Brandon and much of Westman were set to receive 10 to 20 centimetres of snow late Wednesday and this morning, along with strong winds and low visibility, ECCC said.

The federal service issued an orange blizzard warning, saying north and northeasterly winds could reach up to 90 kilometres an hour because of an Alberta clipper.

“This would be a good time to avoid travel,” Natalie Hasell, warning preparedness meteorologist for ECCC, said Wednesday afternoon.

“If you can’t, at the very minimum, have an emergency kit for your car. Tell people where you’re going, how long it’s going to take, which roads you’re taking.”

ECCC’s new orange colour-coded advisory means severe weather is likely to cause significant damage, disruption or health impacts, with impacts being major and widespread. Orange advisories are uncommon.

Brandon, Dauphin, Virden, Killarney and Roblin are among the communities under the blizzard watch, which extends from the Alberta-Saskatchewan border to the Steinbach area.

A yellow freezing rain warning was also issued Wednesday for much of the region, including Brandon.

In the Brandon area, the storm was expected to start Wednesday in the early evening and to end during the daytime today.

The approaching blizzard triggered a flurry of cancellations and closures. Highways in the region closed as early as 3 p.m. Wednesday because of icy conditions.

Schools in the Rolling River School Division were cancelled, while schools in other divisions were let out early and buses for some divisions were left parked.

Brandon University announced it would close on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and not open again until noon today because of the forecast conditions, adding it would reassess that opening this morning. It also said any exams set for Wednesday evening would be pushed back until today at the same time. Today’s exams would be pushed to Friday afternoon.

Assiniboine College said on Facebook it was closing most of its operations Wednesday afternoon, while exams would continue as scheduled.

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra postponed its show in Brandon Wednesday evening due to the threat of dangerous driving conditions.

Brandon-Westman Christmas Cheer told the Sun that it was continuing its delivery of hampers Wednesday afternoon and would continue into the evening if conditions allowed for it. The organization also said that it is still looking for drivers to help deliver hampers to the more than 1,700 people set to receive one.

The province’s transportation and infrastructure department announced Wednesday that it is on standby with 340 vehicles for snow clearing, de-icing and grading, and that it is monitoring highway conditions.

Hasell said the worst of the storm was set to happen overnight Wednesday and Thursday morning, with “winds strong enough to reduce visibility to nothing at times.”

The northerly winds are also expected to bring colder temperatures to the area and are forecast to drop to -28 C Thursday evening and Friday morning.

Hasell said if people are stuck on the road, they should make sure their exhaust pipe is clear of snow and then stay in their vehicle and wait for help. People should also have plenty of gas in their vehicles, and phones should be charged.

Another storm is expected to hit the area on Friday. Hasell said while ECCC didn’t have good information on that system yet, it is also expected to reduce visibility and bring strong winds.

She said people should be prepared for the same thing on Friday as they are for the current event.

Wednesday’s weather system saw blizzard conditions snarling traffic, delaying flights and closing schools across the Prairies.

Airports in Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg were reporting flight delays.

In Alberta, Mounties said there had been multiple crashes and closures along the main highway linking Edmonton and Calgary.

In Saskatchewan, a school board for the Saskatoon area declared a snow day and evening events, including Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League games, were cancelled.

Moose Jaw suspended transit service and Regina waste pickup was stopped for the day.

» alambert@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press