| Heavy snowfall, power outages |
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| Local Content - Local News |
| Written by publisher |
| Tuesday, 26 January 2010 15:18 |
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By Marcia Love Maple Creek residents were digging themselves out yesterday following a weekend of heavy snowfall. Southern Saskatchewan saw a significant accumulation of snow as well as high winds, causing blowing snow and whiteout conditions in many areas. Snow began falling Friday night and continued through most of the weekend. Swift Current saw an accumulation of 30 cm of snow, while the largest quantity fell in the Cypress Hills. Between Saturday and Sunday 45 cm of snow fell in the hills. The storm extended from southeastern Alberta as far as southern Manitoba. Environment Canada meteorologist Bill McMurtry said it is rare for the Southwest to see so much snowfall in such a short period of time. It’s an event that may only occur two or three times per year. Power lines laden with ice and snow caused power outages for many Maple Creek, Consul, Eastend and Shaunavon residents over the weekend. Power was off in Maple Creek for 20 minutes Saturday evening and again for about 30 minutes Sunday evening. Consul residents were without power all day Saturday. Sask Power spokesman James Parker said poor road conditions added to the problem, making it difficult for crews trying to restore power in many areas. Some areas in southeast Saskatchewan, including Weyburn and Ogema, were still without power on Monday, and may not see it restored until late Tuesday. Many school buses to Maple Creek’s Sidney Street School and Composite High School were cancelled Monday due to poor road conditions. McMurtry said residents can expect cooler temperatures across the province later this week, with the mercury possibly dropping to about -20 C in Maple Creek by mid week. |
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