A mix of rain on Sunday followed by freezing temperatures made for icy driving conditions on Monday.
Saskatoon police are reminding drivers to add extra time to commutes and to clear snow off vehicles.
“It’s quite busy out there. We’ve responded to 17 collisions within eight hours today. Most, thankfully, have been quite minor,” said Kelsie Fraser, a spokesperson with Saskatoon Police Service.
Only one collision resulted in injuries, when a 12-year-old girl was struck while in a crosswalk. The driver was issued a ticket for failing to yield.
Up to five centimetres of snow was forecastd in Saskatoon on Monday.
City crews started sanding and salting high traffic roads during the morning rush hour and planned to run four plows, 14 sanders and up to 16 graders through Monday night.
If the city reaches snow event status of roughly 5 centimetres accumulation, the number of active graders will double, bringing the total to 32.
“I think the biggest thing that people are going to notice is how cold it is because what’s pushing in is an arctic ridge of high pressure —really cold air and it looks like it’s here to stay for a good solid week,” said Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.
Lang said Saskatoon likely won’t see any more snow this week, but added temperatures will stay below seasonal for at least the next week.