In the eye of the storm: Spring snow brings chaos to Saskatchewan highways

WATCH: A winter storm moving across central Saskatchewan Thursday caused plenty of pains for drivers.

If March came in like a lamb, it’s certainly going out as a lion.

A winter storm moving across central Saskatchewan Thursday caused plenty of pains for drivers, with many highways in the area covered in snow or temporarily closed.

“The morning was good. It seemed like maybe we missed it,” Dundurn Fire Department Chief Tom Willms said.

“But then she snuck up. And once she started to freeze, it got to be a sheet of ice out there.”

Highway 11 south of Dundurn to Kenaston was a particularly troublesome spot. Dundurn Fire Chief Tom Willms says whiteout conditions led to multiple accidents in the area that ended up closing the highway for roughly three hours around 6:30 p.m.

First responders had a difficult time locating accidents along the highway, with such reduced visibility. Willms said he was responding to a crash and couldn’t see it until it was right in front of him.

“It’s very nerve wracking. When you’re in it, you know, it just takes one guy to come slipping through and take you out,” he said.

“Firefighters were slipping and sliding last night. (It) just takes one guy to not see and come slamming in there and somebody slipping — that’s how people get killed."

Willms said the passenger side of one vehicle was torn open after colliding with a semi on that stretch of highway, and he was thankful the driver didn’t have a passenger.

The storm kept Saskatchewan RCMP busy across the province.

From 10 a.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday, RCMP received 80 traffic-related reports — including 38 collisions.

The village of Kenaston lived up to its billing as the blizzard capital of Saskatchewan.

Known for being a hot spot of blizzard activity, the skating rink opened its doors to stranded motorists when the highway was closed at its borders.

“We’ll open up the rink and then we’ll open up the hall, is kind of the course of how it works,” Kenaston Skating Rink operator Travis Erlandson said. “The hall is more homey, I would say, than the rink would be.”

Erlandson said it was mostly truckers who sheltered at the rink. Others took their chances on alternate highways.

Eloise Layton opened her door to a volunteer from an animal rescue charity who was on her way back to Moose Jaw with five dogs in her vehicle. Unable to find a family who could accommodate the dogs, the woman drove to Layton’s home in Outlook, roughly 50 kilometres west.

“Somebody had to. It’s not a big deal,” Layton said.

“I couldn’t imagine them staying overnight for two nights in the van,” Layton said.

Layton said hospitality comes second nature to people in the area, with closures along Highway 11 becoming common in the winter months.

With her animals, Layton ended up hosting seven dogs and two cats, and with travel conditions not improving, she said the volunteer would stay at her place one more night.

“When it comes to dogs and cats, I’m a sucker,” she said.

Many areas in central Saskatchewan are still recovering from the blast of winter, with photos posted to social media showing semis jackknifed along snow-covered highway. Travel is still not recommended in some locations.

Just before 4 p.m., RCMP said there were six reports of jackknifed semis in the Hanley and Kenaston areas. Police are asking the public to avoid unnecessary travel in the area, particularly between Dundurn and Bladworth.

“Everybody’s got somewhere to be, but staying home is better than being stuck on the road,” Willms said.