The big storm that the Manitobans have been preparing for for the past two days has been blowing in the countryside overnight and is expected to continue until Friday.
According to Environment Canada, most of the snow is expected on Wednesday, accompanied by strong northeast winds.
Until the storm eventually subsides, forecasters are looking at a range of 30 to 40 centimeters of snow for Winnipeg and 40 to 60 centimeters for the western Red River Valley, including Portage la Prairie and Morden.
Western Manitoba is 25-50 cm, while in the eastern valley of the Red River and southeastern Manitoba there should be 20-40 cm of snowfall.
Manitoba’s RCMP closed the perimeter highway. Rudi Pavlicin / Global News
In a statement later Wednesday, the province said the storm was expected to ease slightly in the afternoon before intensifying again later in the day.
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By Friday, widespread snowfall of 30 to 50 centimeters is expected in much of southern and central Manitoba and North Dakota, the province said.
Scott Keller of the weather company Weatherlogics told 680 CJOB’s The Start that although the snow arrived in the countryside a little later than expected, the system has not slowed down.
“We had these strong northeast winds and these winds were relatively dry, so they were eating away at the edge of the snow moving up from the south,” Keller said.
“Finally, the snow overcame the dry air and now we are starting to see how these heavier groups are formed, so the day will gradually get worse from now on.
“We will continue to see these very heavy streaks of snow pass.
0:31 Winnipeggers talk about the first few hours of the blizzard Winnipeggers talk about the first few hours of the blizzard
Read more: RCMP overturns decision to close all major highways in southern Manitoba, but says closure is still possible
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#rcmpmb was constantly monitoring the condition of the highway at night and continues to monitor this morning. The expected widespread highway closures in the southern MB were not necessary. At that time, # MBHwy75 south of Maurice to the border and # MBHwy1 from Ellie to Austin were officially closed. pic.twitter.com/6ZIt25YQPl
– RCMP Manitoba (@rcmpmb) April 13, 2022
The storm canceled all flights to and from Winnipeg International Airport on Wednesday, but officials said a number of flights were still scheduled for Thursday.
“Certainly, if someone is traveling or planning to travel tomorrow, we really encourage people to consult with their airline,” said airport spokesman Tyler McAfee, adding that those who want to fly on Thursday must arrive at the airport. -early than normal.
The Manitoba RCMP closed major highways overnight in a bid to prevent people from being trapped in the storm.
Mounties reversed that decision on Wednesday morning, but some highways were still closed due to bad weather.
Highway closures included much of the Trans-Canadian highway through Manitoba and the perimeter highway around Winnipeg.
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The province said the snow removal equipment was located on highways affected by heavy snow until Wednesday afternoon.
Among other provincial closures, all Winnipeg subway school units took the rare step of canceling all bus services and school hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and a number of rural school departments followed suit.
The city of Winnipeg said the closure of several civilian facilities, including libraries, swimming pools and leisure centers, would continue until at least Thursday, and garbage collection and recycling would be halted on Thursday.
Winnipeg’s Main Street Project says it has opened a 24-hour temporary shelter to help Winnipeggers, who have nowhere to go during the storm, would otherwise live on the streets.
“It’s really important that people have a safe place to go in bad weather – that means people who usually find their way outside don’t have that opportunity,” Mahmoud said.
“We will serve three meals a day, provide clothes and all the supplies that people need. People can stay there all the time, no one has to go out in the cold. “
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Mahmoud said the Main Street Project is already active with its van program, visiting homeless people and informing them of the impending storm and helping them with supplies.
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5:30 Main Street Project Creates Temporary Extended Shelter Main Street Project Creates Temporary Extended Shelter
Major events, such as the Winnipeg Jets game against the Seattle Kraken, originally scheduled for Wednesday night at the Canada Life Center, have been postponed.
Winnipeg Assistant Chief Fire Chief (WFPS) Jay Shaw told Global News on Wednesday morning that the plows were preparing to hit city streets.
By Wednesday afternoon, a large-scale snow clearing operation was underway across the city using approximately 200 pieces of equipment.
“What will happen from there is that you will see the need to stay away from the roads as much as possible to allow us to clear these (priority) streets 1 so that we can have access to the emergency services. and critical and basic services, “Shaw said.
The city of Winnipeg has launched a storm response website to provide up-to-date information to residents. Please visit: #MBStorm pic.twitter.com/VeVlRf20ZI
– Mayor Brian Bowman (@Mayor_Bowman) April 13, 2022
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Shaw said the city has contingency plans to ensure paramedics and firefighters can receive 911 calls despite the extreme weather.
City Street Maintenance Manager Michael Cantor told the 680 CJOB at 10 a.m. that the plows were already out on the roads.
“An operation to plow trucks is underway throughout the city. “Teams are focusing on our regional streets, collectors and bus routes, including sidewalks and walkways,” Cantor said.
“We will probably plow them several times during this event.
“We also deal with problem areas due to carrying snow all over the city.”
The extended ban on snow parking will take effect at midnight.
3:06 WFPS Assistant Chief Jay Shaw for plowing on the street WFPS Assistant Chief Jay Shaw for street plowing
Outside the city, in the Southern Health-Santé Sud area, there is a unique contingency plan to ensure that health workers can work safely during a storm.
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“We have teamed up with the Southern Emergency Response Committee and they have arranged for a convoy to get all our staff working in the coming days,” Lorraine Cassan of Southern Health told Global News.
“They gather at Winkler at Winkler Arena and then at Morden at the Access Center. They do this three times a day. They have arranged for a snowplow to start first, and then there is a fire engine – and the staff will be able to follow them so that they can get to work safely.
“This will really help us bring in our staff so we can take care of our patients.”
3:45 Southern Health Region Helps Healthcare Professionals Get There Safely Southern Health Region Helps Healthcare Professionals Get There Safely
Many thanks to @cityofmorden, Morden Fire dept and Stanley’s RM for helping us get to and from work during the storm! No horns in this convoy, because we didn’t want to disturb anyone. pic.twitter.com/JfiNJz8vnW
– Craig Doel (@ pvbiker75) April 13, 2022
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Portage la Prairie Mayor Irvine Ferris told Global News that his community was particularly hard hit during the devastating Thanksgiving storm in 2019, but there are plans to ensure that such an experience does not happen again. .
“We definitely made a lot of changes – it was a lot of training experience two and a half years ago,” Ferris said.
“It happened over a long weekend. It really started on Friday, and on Friday night we lost electricity to 90 percent of our city, including hospitals and care centers. “
Ferris said the city of Portage has taken a number of steps to mitigate some of the problems that arose during the crisis, including the installation of large generators as well as spare tanks filled with diesel to run those generators.
“I think our community did a really good job of responding last time, and this time we feel like we’re prepared for this storm, if it’s 2019 at all.”
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