Westman digs out after Montana low hits region

Southwestern Manitoba residents were digging themselves out Thursday after a Montana low pummelled the region with up to 25 centimetres of snow in some areas.

The system hit Brandon with a total of 12 centimetres by Thursday morning and was expected to drop another two to four centimetres before tapering off by late afternoon, said Natalie Hasell, a meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada.

“We do have some issues with … slightly heavier areas of snow that could lead to poor visibility,” she said.

Snow clearing efforts continued Thursday in the city, with crews plowing priority streets, including 34th Street, 26th Street and Rosser, Princess and Park avenues, the city said in a news release.

Sidewalk clearing started along priority streets Wednesday at midnight, while multi-use paths were expected to be completely cleared by midnight Thursday.

Crews continued to clear snow drifts in route 3, which included city streets from College Avenue to Richmond Avenue and 26th Street to 42nd Street.

The city said plowing for routes 2 and 6 is planned for today.

Environment Canada had few reports for snowfall measurements in the Westman area, which relies on volunteers to track data in rural communities, Hasell said.

MacGregor got eight centimetres of snow Wednesday overnight, bringing the total amount of snowfall in the community east of Brandon to 14 centimetres, she said.

Durban, a community southwest of Swan River, got about 15 centimetres on Thursday.

A yellow warning for snowfall was still in effect for southwestern Manitoba on Thursday morning and a few schools and rural bus routes were cancelled for the second day in a row.

All schools in the Fort La Bosse, Turtle Mountain and Southwest Horizon school divisions were closed, with no buses running.

Schools in the Mountain View School Division were open, but rural bus routes were cancelled again. No buses were operating in the Beautiful Plains School Division, but all schools remained open.

Manitoba Hydro reported one power outage near Birtle on Thursday at around 10:15 a.m. that was expected to be restored by 3 p.m. Another power outage was reported near Carberry around 3:30 p.m. and was expected to be fixed by 6:30 p.m. Both outages affected less than five people.

“I haven’t heard specifically of any weather-related power outages, but there are power outages in southern Manitoba. So, pay attention to what’s going on in your neighborhood,” Hasell said.

“If your house has lost power, you might not have enough heat, so you might have to get somewhere else to stay warm.”

Today’s afternoon temperature is expected to reach a high of -13 C with the wind chill making it feel more like -27 C this morning.

This week’s weather system developed in Montana and moved across the western provinces before hitting southern Manitoba late Tuesday.

Warm air from the south, which holds a lot of moisture, clashed with colder air from the north, causing heavy snowfall, Environment and Climate Change Canada previously said.

Hasell reminds people to drive safely in these winter conditions. Having an emergency kit in the vehicle when driving is one way to stay safe and be prepared before travelling, she said.

She also recommends people tell someone when they expect to arrive at their destination and to check in if those travelling haven’t.

“If you are stuck on the highway in these poor visibility conditions, if your car is still intact, stay in your car. It is already offering you shelter,” Hasell said.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com