Winter-like storm whips through Saskatchewan, Manitoba

Thursday, November 19, 2015, 9:21 AM - A low pressure system crossing the Prairies is causing major travel woes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

After exiting Saskatchen, it will leave behind brisk northwest winds, strong enough to make it feel like -20 in southern Saskatchewan with the windchill factored in through the morning hours, and little better than the mid-minus teens by the afternoon.

Manitoba will be little better, with gusts of 70-80 km/h occurring throughout the day for most of the province, though the strongest will be in the north. That's down somewhat from a peak that brought winds of more than 100 km/h in parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The weather has already caused travel headaches. Several highways were snow-covered Thursday morning, including parts of the Trans-Canada Highway. The RCMP reported an accident on the TCH near the Ontario border temporarily shut down the link, although no injuries were reported.

In Winnipeg, a 17-car pileup that sent one person to hospital with a concussion was blamed on icy roads.

In the south of Manitoba, snow will continue through the day, with heavier amounts of lake-enhanced snow off the lakes. 

The snow will taper off through the overnight, with some bands still maintaining themselves through to Saturday southeast of Lake Winnipeg.

Cooler temperatures continue Friday, with daytime highs mostly below freezing. A slight warm-up is in store for the weekend, before the Prairies once again plunge into Arctic temperatures for the mid week.

SOURCES: The Weather Network | CBC News | Manitoba 511

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