Snowfall warnings in effect ahead of early wintery blast
An early blast of wintery weather is expected to move into Manitoba this week, bringing an end to a busier-than-usual construction season in Winnipeg.
Winter can’t come soon enough for Mack Parman, a co-owner of Eadha Bakery Worker Co-op, an Ellice Avenue sourdough shop that’s been plagued by road construction.
Parman said they needed to close for 10 days due to no access to the shop which took a bite out of business.
"We definitely lost a lot of profits from all that, just not being able to be open,” Parman said.
It was a busy summer in terms of road construction.
“Crews have undertaken over 200 projects this year and that includes like reconstruction projects,” Ken Allen, communications coordinator for the city's public works department, told CTV News.
But incoming snow and cold temperatures are putting a freeze on road work.
In an abrupt end to the fall weather, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a snowfall warning Tuesday for parts of southern Manitoba, including Brandon, Morden, Winkler and Virden.
It notes a Montana low-pressure system will begin to spread into southwestern Manitoba Wednesday morning before moving on to the Red River Valley in the afternoon.
It’s expected to taper off overnight.
ECCC notes areas close to the American border will see the highest amounts with 24-hour total snowfall accumulations close to 20 cm.
It won’t end there.
The agency said the same area is expected to get another ‘snowfall event’ starting Thursday night.
“This early snowfall is a reminder that winter is just around the corner, and residents are encouraged to prepare for winter driving conditions and falling temperatures,” ECCC writes in the warning.
It warns rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult in some areas. Surfaces like highways, roads, walkways and parking lots could become difficult to manage.
Allen said the city is ready for whatever snowfall is received.
“When the snow starts to fly, you can expect to see our salting crews out addressing sections of main routes, bus routes, collector streets, bridges and underpasses to work to improve traction,” he said.
“For tomorrow, when the weather turns, motorists should start driving to those winter driving conditions, slow down and allow additional stopping distance.”
Allen said the city is also making improvements to snow clearing this year, bringing in 15 new sidewalk plows to help clear pathways.
“In the past, we've cleared them once eight centimetres of snow has accumulated,” he said, adding there has been a change to that policy. "Now we're going to be working to clear those residential sidewalks and paths once we accumulate only five centimetres of snow.
"So you're going to see those residential sidewalks and pathways cleared more frequently, depending on the type of snow we get.”
As for the construction projects, the city says about 90 per cent of the planned work is or will be completed in the upcoming weeks, while some may need to carry over into 2024.
Parman is grateful the sound of jackhammering has been replaced with the hum of the bakery as it gets back to helping people break bread.
“Get some of our regulars to come on back if they didn't realize that we're open, some new people if they wanted to try us," Parman said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.