City, much of province, rest of Prairies blasted by early spring snowstorm

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This article was published 28/03/2025 (368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Many Manitobans took an early spring snow beating Thursday night and Friday morning, and they have plenty of company across the Prairies.

A band of snow that moved in from the northwest part of the province dumped between 20 and 30 centimetres in the north parts of Winnipeg beginning late Thursday afternoon. Southern areas of the city escaped with as little as five centimetres.

Elsewhere, parts of the Interlake region were hit with up to 20 centimetres, and the Westman region got less than 15.

Some schools cancelled classes and several highways were closed.

The storm battered large swaths of Saskatchewan and Alberta, where heavy snowfall and freezing rain turned roads into skating rinks, resulting in dozens of vehicle collisions.

Plowing operations in Winnipeg didn’t begin until 9 a.m. Friday, testing drivers’ patience during the morning commute. Major streets, sidewalks and pathways will be cleared according to the street priority system, the city said in a news release.

Crews are also applying salt to improve traction. There are currently no winter parking bans in effect, the release said.

Despite the unwelcome return of winter’s wrath, the province is still behind average precipitation for the season.

For much of winter and, now, the first week of spring, precipitation has been between 50 and 70 per cent behind annual average levels, Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Stephen Berg said Friday.

As of Tuesday, Winnipeg had received just one millimetre of precipitation since the beginning of March. The monthly average is 25 millimeters, Berg said.

“That’s a bit alarming, I guess, for the farmers,” he said.

And while unpleasant and inconvenient, the storm was not out of the ordinary for the region.

“I don’t think this is sort of a remarkable snowfall for us,” he said. “We still have a lot of making up to do.”

There is a slight chance of more snowfall throughout the Red River Valley Friday. In Winnipeg, there is a risk of freezing rain and and wind gusts up to 60 km/h.

Temperatures will drop to below average until mid-next week, Berg said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca