A significant portion of southern and central Saskatchewan experienced heavy rain and snowfall on Sunday, resulting in power outages in several communities in the province’s east central region.
Danika Prevost and her boyfriend encountered severe winds while driving back home from a Thanksgiving gathering near Saint Forte to their Tisdale apartment. Prevost described the challenging visibility conditions, with moments where they could barely see five cars ahead.
Upon arriving home around 5 p.m., they observed flickering lights, prompting a neighbor to warn them about a potentially hazardous tree in the front yard. Taking precautionary measures, they moved their trucks, and later witnessed tree branches breaking off during the snowstorm.
Throughout the night, the tree continued shedding branches, causing concern for the safety of their apartment building. Prevost, accustomed to rural conditions, remarked on the different challenges posed by the storm in a town setting.
The couple endured intermittent power outages, spending the night surrounded by candles and blankets as temperatures dropped. The following morning, they woke up to snow-covered trucks and tree debris scattered across their yard.
Meteorologist Dan Fulton explained that the severe weather was the result of two storm fronts converging, bringing heavy precipitation. The interaction between a low-pressure system from Montana and a cold front from Alberta led to rain transitioning into snow across the province.
Hudson Bay and Wynyard in Saskatchewan’s east central region received the highest rainfall amounts, while Nipawin and Kamsack accumulated significant snowfall. Even northern areas like Sandy Bay experienced heavy snowfall during the storm.
SaskPower reported over 8,000 customers without power on Monday morning, mainly in the region east of Melfort towards the Manitoba border. Scott McGregor, a SaskPower spokesperson, attributed the outages to heavy snow turning into ice, causing lines to break. McGregor advised caution around downed power lines to prevent accidents and urged individuals to report any incidents to the outage center.
