Winter storm hits Prairies, closing schools and universities in Winnipeg

WINNIPEG — Vehicles were stranded in snow, schools and highways were closed, and some government services were delayed as an Alberta clipper continued to move eastward across the Prairies Thursday.

The storm brought up to 20 centimetres of snow and wind gusts of up to 90 km/h in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Police urged motorists to avoid travelling. Sections of major highways including the Trans-Canada Highway in Manitoba were closed for hours as blowing snow reduced visibility and created large drifts on the roadway.

Manitoba RCMP received reports of 11 vehicle collisions and 20 stranded drivers overnight.

“There’s been no injuries. I don’t even think we have a collision between vehicles right now. It’s just all single vehicle mishaps where people are going into the ditch,” Sgt. Paul Manaigre said Thursday morning.

Saskatchewan RCMP responded to 82 reports of vehicle collisions — a number that did not include vehicles stuck in ditches. A crash involving three semi-trailer trucks left one driver dead and others injured.

Schools in many areas of Manitoba were closed. It was a rare event in Winnipeg, where most schools usually remain open during storms. All school divisions in the capital opted to cancel classes for the day, as did the University of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba and RRC Polytechnic.

Winnipeg city hall cancelled garbage and recycling collection.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said it was sharply reducing home care services.

“This means most home care clients will not be seen today, unless they are considered high risk,” the agency said in a press release.

Main Street Project, a non-profit that serves the city’s most vulnerable, said outreach vans were on the road doing checks on people living in encampments and bus shelters, and offering transportation to safe places.

Cindy Titus, interim director of development at the shelter, said extreme weather days means it’s all hands on deck.

“It’s a busy place. Lots of people coming in for support, needing warm clothing, mittens, winter clothing and stuff like that.”

Manitoba Hydro noted many power outages scattered across the province.

“But with so many closed or impassable roads (and highways), there are many areas where we can’t safely dispatch crews to make repairs until visibility and road conditions improve,” the utility posted on social media.

“Please stay safe and prepare for an extended outage.”

The snow had tapered off by midday in Winnipeg. Environment and Climate Change Canada said the gusty winds were expected to ease in Manitoba late Thursday as the storm system moves further east.

Winter storm warnings have also been issued across north-central Ontario and into Quebec, with up to 30 centimetres of snow forecast.

On Wednesday, the weather system kept police busy in Alberta, dealing with dozens of collisions due to very icy conditions.

One major route in Alberta saw police respond to a widespread pileup and delay involving 80 to 100 cars, closing the Queen Elizabeth II Highway between Calgary and Airdrie.

— with files from Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg and Jeremy Simes in Regina

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2025.