Drivers told to stay off southern Manitoba highways as blizzard leads to pileups
Steinbach, Ste. Anne hospitals issue code orange, warning of possible influx of patients
An emergency alert urged drivers to stay off highways in southern Manitoba Friday, as a fierce winter storm reduced visibility to near zero in many areas and hospitals were warned to prepare for a possible influx of patients.
At least 30 collisions were reported on southern Manitoba highways, according to RCMP, and dozens of highways were closed as of noon, including the Trans-Canada from Winnipeg to Brandon.
The Southern Health regional health authority declared a code orange at Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach and Ste. Anne Hospital, after a multi-vehicle crash near Ste. Anne, about 45 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, a Shared Health spokesperson said.
FORECAST: Blizzard risk persists in Manitoba through Friday afternoon
A code orange is called when a hospital needs to prepare for a potential sudden influx of patients.
Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg also issued a code orange alert, warning that a code orange may be called, shortly before 11 a.m. in response to several multi-vehicle collisions outside the city, the spokesperson said.
The province of Manitoba issued a news release, and also sent an alert via phones, shortly after noon, advising drivers to avoid travel on any southern Manitoba roadways amid worsening conditions.
This emergency alert was sent to people in Manitoba shortly after noon on Friday, warning drivers to stay off southern Manitoba highways. (CBC)
"Priority on the roadways needs to be given to emergency vehicles," the province said in its news release, also warning that it is illegal to travel on closed roads.
"The highways are treacherous, there's no other word to describe it," RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre said. "I don't think there's probably an officer in southern Manitoba that isn't dealing with a crash right now or writing it up. It's crazy."
It seemed most crashes hadn't resulted in injuries, but police will have more information on the severity of the collisions later in the day, he said.
"[It's] clearly a day to stay home and just wait it out."
SEE ALSO: Winter storm prompts school and highway closures, travel warnings in Manitoba
The highway closures, which stretched throughout southern Manitoba, included the entire Perimeter Highway in Winnipeg, which was shut down by 10:30 a.m.
Winnipeg police said at least 12 cars were involved in a serious pileup on the Perimeter.
Firefighters from Roland responded to another pileup crash involving six vehicles near highways 23 and 3, about 80 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.
WATCH: When does a snowstorm become a blizzard?
Detailed information about highway closures can be found on the Manitoba 511 website.
Blizzard warnings across southern Manitoba
A cold front is bringing strong northerly winds throughout the southern half of the province, where Environment Canada has issued blizzard warnings that include Winnipeg, the Red River Valley and the Interlake.
Winds could gust as high as 90 km/h through the valley, leading to extremely low visibility in the open countryside.
The worst of the conditions should taper off later Friday afternoon or early evening, Environment Canada says.
At least six vehicle pileup in a crash near highways 23 and 3, close to Roland, on Friday. (Roland Fire Department)
Conditions will improve in western Manitoba by Friday afternoon and in eastern Manitoba in the evening, Environment Canada said.
Meanwhile, Manitoba's far north is under an extreme cold warning, with bitterly cold air flooding in from the Arctic. A prolonged period with wind chill values falling close to –50 is expected to start late Friday afternoon and continue through the weekend.
School closures
The blizzard has also caused an unusual situation for one school division.
The Seine River School Division, which covers a large swath south and southeast of Winnipeg, decided just after 8 a.m. to close its schools for the day, but some students had already been picked up by buses.
The division posted an alert on its website, saying students would be dropped off at the closest school — not necessarily their own — for pickup by parents. The alert said parents would be contacted to let them know where their kids are and how to get them.
No one from the division could immediately comment on the situation.
Several English and French school divisions cancelled classes on Friday, while others stayed open for the day, but suspended bus service.
Health services
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority says community health services — home care services, in particular — may be affected by the weather.
"Every effort will be made to maintain existing schedules. However, some weather-related delays or cancellations may be inevitable," the authority said in a news release.
A cold front is bringing strong northerly winds throughout the southern half of the province, where Environment Canada has issued blizzard warnings that include Winnipeg. (Trevor Brine/CBC)
Clients whose visits will be postponed or cancelled can expect to be contacted by phone and notified of the change. Depending on the nature of the service, some visits could be delayed, rescheduled or cancelled.
Anyone wishing to cancel or postpone their own visits can contact their case co-ordinator or nurse. If after business hours, call 204-788-8331.
Temperature plunge
Along with the snow, temperatures across the south are expected to fall throughout the day on Friday.
In Winnipeg, an early morning temperature of 2 C was forecast to drop to –13 C by the afternoon, with a wind chill value around –30.
The daytime highs through the weekend and into early next week are forecast to be between –21 C and –26 C, with overnight lows between –24 C and –30 C.
The normal for this time of year is a high of –13 C and low of –23 C.
This article was originally published for CBC News.
Thumbnail image courtesy: Roland Fire Department via CBC.