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March snow leaves roads a mess

Mar 15, 2016 | 7:08 AM

Winter came roaring back Monday night after a spell of spring-like weather.

Around 5 cm of wet snow had fallen on the Battlefords area by Tuesday morning, March 15, causing semis to get stuck at a couple of spots in the Battlefords.

Environment Canada meteorologist Rob Paola said it was a secondary low pressure system that caused it, separate from the main system that led to snowfall warnings in the Nipawin/Hudson Bay areas.

“As we go over western Saskatchewan there’s a secondary low pressure system just spinning around Saskatoon, and that’s giving an area of snow through the Battlefords-Prince Albert areas,” he said. By about 6 a.m. it was in the process of easing off and moving east.

Paola said another 2 cm could fall before it lets up. Meadow Lake, though, was expecting more later on Tuesday.

“That’s wrapping around in that area, and lingering a little bit longer, so they could see 5 to 10 cm through portions of the Meadow Lake region,” Paola said.

The highway corridor through the Battlefords was partially blocked at a couple of locations due to semis unable to travel through the slippery snow. One was near the intersection of Highways 4/16 and Territorial Drive; the other was just past the bypass exit.

The Highway Hotline was not recommending travel Tuesday morning on highways in any direction around the Battlefords, and east through the Radisson area.

The snow was expected to end Wednesday, with daytime highs staying around the freezing mark until at least the weekend.

 

gsmith@jpbg.ca
Twitter: @smithco