Churchill winter storm warning not unusual in May

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/05/2018 (2797 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In Churchill, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Environment Canada issued a winter storm warning for Churchill on Wednesday. The town on Hudson Bay was expected to be hit with winds gusting up to 90 kilometres per hour while getting from 10 to 20 centimetres of snow.

The national weather service said visibility could be reduced to zero at times because of blowing snow.

The weather was so bad that while rain nor sleet nor snow will traditionally not stop mail carriers, this snowstorm did.

Canada Post issued a red alert, saying Churchill residents would not get mail on Wednesday.

“It is not safe to deliver mail today,” Canada Post spokeswoman Hayley Magerman said in a statement. “Delivery will resume once conditions improve and it is safe to do so.”

Amy Nagy, a teacher in Churchill, said all staff and students were sent home before noon after conditions began to get worse.

“We’ve got a snow day,” Nagy said. “I’m now doing well by staying warm inside.

“We were already at the school when staff and students were sent home for their safety.”

Nagy, who is in her second year of teaching in the community, said the storm was bad, but not as bad as last year’s three day storm. That storm in March dumped so much snow on the community, the town asked people to put fluorescent markers on top of snow banks where vehicles were buried underneath to alert snow clearing crews.

“This is mild compared to that,” she said.

“And this is probably typical. I’ve been told to have a snowstorm in May is not unusual and even into June.”

Natalie Hasell, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, agreed.

“This is not unusual for Churchill,” Hasell said.

“Spring takes a long time for the northern areas. It’s not unusual to still be in a winter storm in early May.”

Hasell said the storm in Churchill, caused by a low pressure area passing over the community, was also bringing up the high winds in southern Manitoba and Winnipeg that were causing a different reason for low visibility – blowing dirt.

And Hasell said there’s still no sign of the drought-like conditions here ending.

“It is still very dry here,” she said. “We’re back in the grit.

“I don’t think we should see anything (rain) here anytime soon… we’re just under clear skies for the time being.”

The winds also caused the province to issue a wind alert for the south basins of Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba, especially the Victoria Beach area.

The Hydrologic Forecast Centre of Manitoba Infrastructure said the winds could result in water levels rising as much as five feet, causing significant waves hitting the shoreline, along with ice piling up. Property owners are being warned to take precautions.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca