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Collisions, highway closures as blizzard slams Manitoba

Click to play video: 'Collisions, highway closures as blizzard slams Manitoba'
Collisions, highway closures as blizzard slams Manitoba
A recap of a chaotic day on Manitoba highways as blizzard conditions caused dozens of collisions – Jan 17, 2025

Conditions on Manitoba Highways continue to worsen Friday afternoon, as snow and wind blast the roads.

As of 2:40 p.m., RCMP say there are between 30-40 highway crashes in Southern Manitoba they are responding to, including one that stretches two kilometres along Highway 12 near Ste. Anne.

Transportation Minister Lisa Naylor tells 680 CJOB three hospitals — HSC, Ste. Anne and Steinbach —have issued Code Oranges, which means they’re preparing in case they get a high volume of car crash victims.

One of the pileups is on Fermor Avenue, and RCMP say one person had to be taken to hospital after she got out of her vehicle and was hit by another.

Most highways in southern Manitoba remain closed, but conditions are quickly changing with some reopening into the evening.

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The province issued an alert earlier, asking everyone to stay off all southern Manitoba highways.

Blizzard conditions are expected to continue developing throughout the day across the Red River Valley, including in Winnipeg, and the Interlake, Environment and Climate Change Canada says.

The City of Winnipeg said crews will begin plowing major streets, sidewalks and pathways beginning at 7 p.m. They will use the street priority system to determine the order.

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Some people outside the perimiter are dealing with power outages, numerous school closures and several flights were cancelled at the Winnipeg Airport Friday.

Meteorologist Dan Fulton told 680 CJOB’s The Start that, contrary to popular belief, there doesn’t need to be an excessive amount of snow to trigger a blizzard warning — it has more to do with visibility.

“[A blizzard warning is issued] when the visibility is a quarter-mile or less for four hours … with winds of 40 kilometres an hour or higher,” Fulton said.
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Click to play video: 'Manitoba Hydro on blizzard conditions'
Manitoba Hydro on blizzard conditions

While there are blowing snow advisories for some areas west of Portage la Prairie and east of Beausejour, Fulton said larger cities like Winnipeg will be mostly spared — although extreme winds and cold temperatures, with expected wind chill hitting the -30 area, remain in the cards.

“There’s not going to be a whole heck of a lot of snow coming down … I would think we’ll probably just have a few centimetres in most areas.

“Right inside cities, like right inside downtown Winnipeg, it’ll be as windy as anything, but it won’t be as bad as when you get out into open countryside.”

Click to play video: 'Mayor, councillor want to nix snow-clearing pilot project for Winnipeg streets'
Mayor, councillor want to nix snow-clearing pilot project for Winnipeg streets

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