Southern Sask. communities faced with power outages after winter storm

A powerful winter storm swept through southern and central Sask. overnight, triggering power outages in Regina and several communities. Jacob Carr has more.

An Alberta Clipper storm system whipped through much of southern and central Saskatchewan on Wednesday, with freezing rain, howling winds, and blowing snow.

The blizzard conditions left many in rural communities like Gull Lake, Maple Creek, and Climax without power through the night.

“It can definitely get cold for sure. Luckily, our furnace was on up until about seven, so our house stayed pretty warm. My mother in law’s place, her power was completely out. That’s why we went and got her, because it does get really cold really fast out here,” said Kat Thomas, the administrative assistant for the Village of Climax.

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Thomas said her power was restored when she woke up on Thursday around 6 a.m.

Scott McGregor, a media relations consultant with SaskPower, told CTV News that in communities like Climax, the high winds, blowing snow, poor visibility, and impassable road conditions forced many workers to wait until morning to make repairs.

“The conditions just weren’t safe for our crews to work and to get power restored. A lot of them had to stand down and wait until the conditions had improved. Which is why we were out around four this morning to start getting to work.”

• Saskatchewan RCMP responds to 82 collisions during winter storm

McGregor also said that houses in Saskatchewan should be equipped with an emergency kit year-round in case of power outages and should be prepared with the provisions to go without power for a 72-hour period, as a baseline.

Much of south Saskatchewan saw freezing rain, making highway travel in some areas hazardous.

Saskatchewan RCMP received 82 reports of collisions and 25 weather-related reports, from late Wednesday afternoon to early Thursday morning.

• Fatal collision near Broadview being investigated by RCMP

That included a fatal collision near Broadview at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 201 on Wednesday afternoon.

“It involved three semis. The driver of one of those semis was pronounced deceased at the scene. There were injuries. We’re working to gather some details,” Saskatchewan RCMP spokesperson Keely Grasser told CTV News.

Grasser, along with Dan Palmer of the Ministry of Highways, went onto say that this is just the beginning of Saskatchewan winter weather and that motorists should be prepared to postpone or cancel plans if travel is not recommended on highways.