Much of Saskatchewan could see wind gusts around 100 kilometres per hour Tuesday.
Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for all areas in the south and a handful of northern regions, stating a low pressure system moving in from Alberta will bring wind gusts between 90 and 100 km/h. Some areas, like the downwind side of Cypress Hills, could see gusts close to 110 km/h.
“Damage to buildings, such as to roof shingles and windows, may occur. High winds may toss objects or cause tree branches to break,” read the warnings — which cover all areas of the province below and including the Meadow Lake, Prince Albert, Melfort and Hudson Bay regions.
The system moving in from Alberta is expected to hit central Saskatchewan beginning Tuesday afternoon. Winds will abate overnight or early Wednesday as the system tracks into Manitoba, according to Environment Canada.
Peak wind speeds are expected in Saskatoon between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 2 a.m. Wednesday, according to city officials.
The city will have night crews ready to pick up debris on the roads, and four arborists will be on call overnight to help clear damaged trees. Transit routes could also be affected by the winds, and the city’s landfill may shut down if wind speeds reach 70 km/h.
SaskPower says it’s lining up technicians and electricians across southern and central Saskatchewan to deal with potential broken poles, downed lines, falling trees and general outages overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday.
“Such strong winds can notably cause ‘galloping’ or lines swaying back and forth and hitting each-other,” SaskPower said in a news release.
“This can lead to a short and an outage, and sometimes even a downed power line.”
Anyone who spots a downed power line is advised to stay at least 10 metres away and contact SaskPower’s 24-hour outage centre at 306-310-2220 or call 911.
SaskPower says it will also be coordinating response with utilities in Alberta and Manitoba as the situation evolves.
