A fresh coat of snow greeted most of Manitoba Thursday morning. 

“Looking outside the window this morning was terrible,” said C.J. Westdal from Winnipeg.

Over 24 hours in Winnipeg, temperatures made a 15-degree swing from 1 degree Celsius to feeling like -14 with the windchill.

But not everyone’s spirit was cooled by the colder weather.

“Quite excited about it. I love the winter weather and all the seasons,” said Sarah Montgomery. “When I look around and see all the white, I feel excited about all the stuff I can do in the snow.”

Environment Canada said Winnipeg recieved anywhere from three to 10 centimetres of snow Thursday morning, with another five centimetres forecast for the city and the southeast throughout the day.

Overnight, Flin Flon received 15 to 20 centimetres and another couple might fall Thursday before tapering off in the afternoon.

Environment Canada said the highest wind speeds recorded for Manitoba overnight were in Pilot Mound at 90+ km/hr and Brandon at 88 km/hr.

In Saskatchewan, Estevan recorded at 106 km/hr.

Weather warnings were in effect for areas of Manitoba throughout Thursday.

Drivers cautioned as snowfall worsens road conditions

Manitobans were also impacted by road closures and collisions as a result of the snow and low visibility.

Around 1:00 p.m. Thursday, Highway 1 was closed from Headingley to Portage La Priaire after a motor vehicle accident.

The closure continued until after 7:00 p.m., impacting westbound drivers.

Along the west perimeter, CTV cameras spotted two jackknifed semi-trucks and a van in a ditch off the highway.

Northbound traffic was down to one lane.

Snow removal crews were out and sanding on provincial roads in affected regions as early as 4:00 a.m. Thursday.

Despite the effort, the snow was to blame for a number of crashes around the province.

Highway 1 eastbound at West Hawk was closed Thursday morning for several hours due to a collision.

Wednesday night, at least 17 cars piled up on Bishop Grandin Boulevard near River Road.

No one was seriously hurt.

The province said crews will be on highways as the adverse weather conditions continue.

There are 19,000 kilometres of provincial roads and the province has 341 pieces of winter maintenance equipment from sanders to plows.

Manitoba drivers are cautioned to be aware of crews on the road, and reminded to stay well back from the flashing blue warning lights installed on all equipment.

The province said drivers should slow down when approaching working snow plows and not to pass one in operation from behind at any time.

Additionally, turning on headlights – rather than relying on daytime running lights – will help drivers see each other in bad weather or on slippery streets.

Drivers are requested to slow down and drive for the conditions.