Winnipeggers weren't expecting first winter storm to be this… dramatic

Manitobans start digging out from wintery blast Manitobans weren’t expecting such a dramatic first big snowstorm, but that’s exactly what they got. CTV’s Jon Hendricks reports.

Winter arrived with a vengeance as Manitoba was hit with a major blast of snow that just kept on coming Thursday morning.

Roman Song was among the many Winnipeggers armed with a shovel Thursday. While he knew the city was bound to be hit by a major snowfall eventually, that didn't make it any easier for him now that it's arrived.

"I was kind of expecting our luck to eventually wear out, but I wasn't expecting the first big snowstorm to be, well, this dramatic," Song told CTV News.

HOW MUCH SNOW DID WINNIPEG GET?

All this misery thanks to an Alberta clipper that swept through our region.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Winnipeg area got blasted Wednesday and Thursday, raking in some of the highest snowfall totals in the province.

The city reported 10 to 20 cm of snow.

The Matlock area had 15 to 20 cm, while Portage had seven to 16 cm and the Steinbach area had 10 to 12 cm.

It's a pain in the neck for some and potentially dangerous for others.

"If you've been diagnosed with heart disease, be aware that shovelling can strain your cardiovascular system," said Kaitlyn Archibald, the health policy specialist with the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

"Especially shovelling after a significant snowfall like we've seen today could mean moving hundreds of pounds of snow in a relatively short amount of time."

She suggests wearing a heart rate monitor to see how your body is handling the strain. She said asking family or friends for help or hiring a snow clearing company may be a good idea as well.

"We have received an influx of calls today," said Bjorn Nelson, owner of Bjorn's Snow.

Nelson was hard at work clearing driveways all day long, and he's happy to do it. The relatively warm and snow-free start to the winter has been bad for business.

"The market is slow when there's no snow, and when it's like this, everyone wants service," he said.

He wasn't the only one out Thursday. The football team at Vincent Massey Collegiate showed up to school early to lend a helping hand – or shovel – in the community.

"They are amazing people and were able to help a lot of people this morning by clearing driveways, walkways, and sidewalks," the Pembina Trails School Division said in a post on X.

HOW THE CITY OF WINNIPEG TACKLED SNOW CLEARING

The City of Winnipeg said it started its snow-clearing work Wednesday night, focusing on priority one streets and sidewalks. However, officials pointed out they won't necessarily be cleared simultaneously.

"If you don't see a street and sidewalk being plowed at the same moment, it doesn't mean they're not being plowed, they're just moving at a different pace," said Michael Cantor, the manager of streets maintenance for the city.

The city has sent a lot of heavy equipment out on the road clearing away the snow. It aims to have all the priority one streets clear within 36 hours.