REGINA- Crews for the city of Regina are set to deal with major snowstorm conditions expected to hit the city Friday.
Regina is not expected to be spared from the major snowstorm and blizzard conditions expected to hit Southern Saskatchewan. According to Tyler Bien, Regina’s Manager of Seasonal Operations, the forecast is for 10 to 15 cm of snow to fall, coupled with 70 km winds.
He said the city is under a blizzard warning, with snow expected to hit this evening and go through the night and into Saturday.
Bien said the city storm response “will start when the snow starts falling. Typically we focus on a high-speed, high-volume roads, the high-risk intersections, as well as emergency routes.”
During the storm they plan to focus on their high-speed, high category roads such as Ring Road and the main roads such as Albert St., Arcola, Broad St. and so on.
The crews will apply ice control, and plow the roads to keep them passable for emergency vehicles, or residents.
Once the snow stops, the city will move into a systematic plow. If they received five cm of snow, the city will plow the category one to three streets in a systematic fashion until it’s completed.
“All our equipment is in, all our staffing levels are in, along with our contracted support will be brought in for the start of the storm,” said Bien.
Through the storm response and systematic response, Bien said the city will have 50 pieces of equipment on the road at any given point in time. They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week when they go into storm and systematic plow mode.
“We will have equipment out there at all hours of the day, pushing any snow, applying ice control as needed.”
The amount of snow expected is less of a concern compared to the high winds predicted, with risks of drifting snow.
The biggest risk of snowdrifts is anywhere in the perimeter of the city where snow can blow in easily. Bien said the city is aware of the typical problem areas.
“Whenever it is this strong of a wind, we just patrol those perimeter roads and open areas a lot more,” said Bien.
The city has not transitioned their equipment out of winter mode yet, so they will be in position to deal with the snow. That transition typically happens at the end of the month.
As for where Regina stands with the snow clearing budget, they do not have those exact numbers yet, but they are into a new budget year. Last year the city was significantly over budget due to the large amount of snow.
For the general public, the city is urging people that if they do plan to travel, to plan your route and to give yourself extra time. If you come across any snow equipment, leave three and a half car lengths and let the workers do their job.
The blizzard warning is in effect for the City of Regina and surrounding areas including Carlyle, Estevan, Weyburn, Fort Qu'Appelle and Lumsden.
According to Environment Canada's forecast: "A blizzard with strong winds and significant falling snow will develop late day Friday as a low pressure system tracks along the international border. Conditions will deteriorate rapidly in the early evening hours as snow begins to accumulate. Southeasterly winds gusting to 70 km/h will coincide with the organized snowfall throughout the same period. Widespread poor visibilities are expected throughout Friday night and whiteout conditions will be possible at times. Total snowfall amounts of 15 to 25 cm is forecast to fall Friday evening through Saturday evening."
As for how confident the public should be in the weather warnings, Bien noted the forecast has been pretty consistent all week in predicting a significant snowstorm for Regina.
“That’s what we’re planning for. We’re planning to have everybody in, everybody ready to address those needs and like I said, if we’re lucky enough to not get as much snow as forecast we’ll adjust as needed.”
The storm will be monitored through the night. If five centimetres of snow does fall, snow routes will be called. A full communication will be provided should that happen.
