Highway 41 between Wakaw and Yellow Creek at around 1:30 p.m. after rainfall on Wednesday afternoon. (Submitted photo/Shannon Elder)

By Angie Rolheiser

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It appears as though Melfort only received a light punch in the winter storm that wreaked havoc across the province on Wednesday and Thursday morning.

Wind gusts were well above 100 km/hr in Saskatoon and Regina causing power outages, delays on highways, and causing some damage.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang said the northeast was definitely spared by the wind.

“The Alberta clipper moved across and dove south and that’s why the strongest winds were more in the southwest and toward the southeast,” Lang said. “Had the low tracked more into central Manitoba the northeast portion would have seen more in the way of wind.”

Melfort saw some snowfall and precipitation totals including rain was about 1.8 mm.

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Rain moved into the Melfort area at around lunchtime on Wednesday and caused issues for motorists as area highways became very slick.

By late afternoon, the temperature was above freezing making conditions a bit more favourable on highways until the evening.

The Highway Hotline indicated travel not recommended for most of the region and some highways to the south were closed overnight.

“Yesterday’s storm proved why we tell folks to be prepared for winter driving,” Lang said. “We had a number of people trapped in their cars for several hours which is why you put an emergency kit in your car.”

Highways were still listed as travel not recommended by the highway hotline on Thursday morning. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW staff)

As for damage caused by winds in the Melfort area, there is not much to report other than some dumpsters and barbecues being flipped over.

(Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW staff)

Barbecue blown over by the wind. (Submitted photo/Shania Unruh)

Across the province, SaskPower was reporting outages throughout the night caused by extreme winds and snow. In a release on Thursday morning, the crown corporation indicated they were aware of 80,000 customers without service in more than 100 communities. Priority is always given in times such as these to essential services such as medical facilities, care homes, police and fire stations, and then to the general public.

The stronger winds continue today in the region and blowing snow will still be a factor on area highways.

“Check the highway hotline before venturing out,” Lang said. “There have been many road closures and a lot of travel not recommended so people should be weary of that if they are going to head out.”

A rebound to more seasonal values is on the way but Environment Canada is also tracking another system that looks to move through on Saturday.

“It is likely to bring more snow, strong winds, and maybe a chance of freezing rain,” Lang said. “Certainly not as a strong as the weather system that just went through but something to keep an eye on.”

The provincial highway hotline can be found here.

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser