Spring snow, high winds wallop Prairies, stranding vehicles and causing crashes

 

Winter refused to release the Prairies from its icy grip Friday, dumping snow, toppling trees and closing roads while Mounties and medics in northern Alberta scrambled to help those trapped in vehicles and running low on food, water and medicine.

“We are currently working on a plan to get the plows to where they need to be and the tow trucks in there to get people moving again,” said RCMP Staff Sgt. Sabrina Clayton in Fort McMurray, Alta.

Mounties said the northbound lanes of a stretch of Highway 63, the main artery for motorists travelling between Fort McMurray and Edmonton, were impassable due to high winds and blowing snow that was up to 60 centimetres deep in some sections. 

Police escorted multiple tow trucks to reach stranded vehicles.

Clayton said some motorists spent the night in their cars and trucks, and Mounties assisted with a medical evacuation Thursday night.

Some vehicles were stuck, she said, and some people were running out of medication, food and water.

While southbound lanes of the artery remained open, Clayton warned people should only travel on them if absolutely necessary. 

“The weather hasn’t changed. It hasn’t let up since Wednesday morning.”

Further south, Edmonton residents who rescued patio furniture skittering away in howling winds Thursday night woke up to a blanket of snow Friday, with flakes landing in horizontal sheets as the day wore on.

In Calgary, the Parade of Wonders that was supposed to move through the city’s downtown to kick of the Calgary Expo comic convention was called off due to high wind gusts.

“This decision was not made lightly, but made with the safety of participants as first priority,” organizers said in a statement, adding there would be an indoor parade instead.

Environment Canada issued a wind warning for the city, with gusts up to 90 kilometres per hour, amid reports of fallen trees.

In Manitoba, Environment Canada issued blizzard and storm warnings from Flin Flon to Shamattawa, and officials closed a number of highways.

Manitoba Hydro said it responded to a number of storm-related outages but it wasn’t safe for crews to get to some areas, including several First Nations in the northeast.

The utility said in an email that it was aiming to begin restoration work in those spots Saturday but further outages were possible.

In Saskatchewan, some communities in the northeast were hit with between 18 to 25 centimetres of snow, and more was expected over the weekend.

Travel was not recommended in the region, and one highway near the Manitoba boundary was closed. Rural school bus routes across northern Saskatchewan were cancelled.

In Meadow Lake, Sask., city manager Amanda Flasch said it would take crews a few days to clear out the snow. 

And really, she said, enough already. “I think we’re all tired of winter.”

Joe Hordyski, the mayor of La Ronge, Sask., said residents there were running out of places to dump shovelled snow.

He said the best thing for everyone might be to just let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. 

“Our water levels are really low,” Hordyski said. “With the event we had last year, we certainly want to make sure we’ve got moisture.”

Wildfires forced residents to flee for their safety last June. The blaze also destroyed an old trading post.

In Saskatoon, police warned drivers to be careful after they responded to 16 collisions in the first few hours of the morning commute. Snow also delayed buses getting children to school.

In Regina, drivers navigated brown slushy streets alongside medians dusted white with snow.

Brian Proctor, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the snow may lead to eventual flooding problems. But he suggested that on the whole people should view the snow globe as half full, not half empty.

“Heavy snowfall in the boreal forest will help us moving forward in a better way (as we enter) forest fire season,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2026.

— With files from Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg and Jeremy Simes in Regina