Weather conditions prompt highway closures, bus and school cancellations in Manitoba

A number of Manitoba highways are closed, and schools and buses are cancelled on Thursday morning due to poor winter driving conditions, icy roads and reduced visibility.

According to the Manitoba government, the following highways are closed:

• Highway 3 from North Junction of Highway 34 to Carman;
• Highway 13, from Carman to Portage la Prairie;
• Highway 14, from Highway 3 to Highway 30;
• Highway 23 from Highway 3 to Highway 34;
• Highway 32 from Highway 14 to the US Border; and
• Highway 201 from Highway 32 to Highway 30.

The Division scolaire franco-manitobaine (DSFM) announced buses are cancelled for the following schools: École Saint-Joachim, École Saint-Lazare, École Régionale Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, École Gilbert-Rosset, École Pointe-des-Chênes, and École La Source Shilo.

All schools are closed in the Rolling River School Division and Fort La Bosse School Division.

Afternoon bus service is cancelled for region A and B schools in the Prairie Rose School Division. This includes Miami, Roland, Carman, Elm Creek, Elie, St. François Xavier, and St. Eustache. The school division is asking parents and guardians to pick their kids up at school.

Garden Valley School Division also cancelled all of its afternoon bus routes, and said schools will remain open until all students are picked up.

These closures and cancellations come as a special weather statement remains in effect for southern Manitoba.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), southern Manitoba received eight to 15 centimetres (cm) of snow since Tuesday afternoon.

In Winnipeg specifically, snowfall totals ranged from nine to 13 cm; however, there are no official totals as of yet.

Those in southeastern Manitoba can expect a band of heavier snow on Thursday, with some freezing drizzle mixed in. Western Manitoba is expected to have received another five to 10 cm of snow on Wednesday night.

By the weekend, some southern Manitoba areas will have received upwards of 20 to 30 centimetres of snow. More information on the snowfall can be found online.

Weather conditions are expected to improve Friday and into Saturday.

CAA AHEAD OF SCHEDULE SO FAR THROUGH STORM

As the snow keeps coming CAA has been busy helping people get out of a pinch.

As of 4 p.m., CAA said there had been 270 calls, with about half of them requiring tows.

"The average call volume for a day is 300-350, so we are ahead of that schedule as of now," a spokesperson said in an email to CTV News.

The average wait time for help is 45 minutes.

CAA notes it will take longer and call volumes are worse outside city limits.

People are being reminded to not travel on closed highways as CAA tow trucks can't legally drive on closed roads to rescue people.