Saskatoon and a wide swath of the province is waking up to a major snowfall.
The snow started falling Thursday night and is expected to continue Friday and Saturday with as much as 25 centimetres expected to fall before the weekend is done.
Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for Saskatoon and central Saskatchewan in an area stretching from Meadow Lake in the northwest to just north of the Trans Canada Highway in the province’s southeast corner.
Accumulations of more than 10 or more cm of snow were reported in Saskatoon through Lloydminster by early Friday as a Pacific front moved across the province, with five to 10 cm having fallen in most other regions. The snow will move into northeast Saskatchewan later Friday morning.
An additional 10 to 15 cm of snow is expected to fall today, with amounts decreasing in areas of southern Saskatchewan.
The City of Saskatoon said in an update Friday morning that snow clearing equipment was at work on Priority 1 and Priority 2 streets and applying de-icing material.
The city says it is prepared for the snow after experiencing the first storm of the season last weekend. It said all priority roads were cleared within 58 hours, almost a full day ahead of its 72-hour goal, and more than 600 truckloads of snow were moved during the wake of last weekend’s storm.
“Previous to this year we had two areas where we had contractors, this year we increased that to four . . . and as a result we were able to get crews out to a condensed area quicker and the number of crews went up as well,” said Pat Hyde, the city’s director of public works.
The city’s snow clearing operation is based on a priority street system.
Priority 1 streets – high-traffic streets such as Circle Drive, Eighth Street, 22nd Street and College Drive and access to fire halls and hospitals -- receive grading within 12 hours after a storm ends.
Priority 2 streets -- those adjacent to emergency services, rapid transit bus route, and busy roads such as Clarence Avenue, Taylor Street, Ruth Street, Fairlight Drive, McCormack Road – are graded within 36 hours
Priority 3 streets -- including local bus routes, access to schools, and main streets such as Emmeline Road, parts of Main Street, and Wiggins Avenue, 29th Street, Forrester Road – see graders within 72 hours.
