A Christmas Day snowstorm expected to make its way into Manitoba later today has already cancelled several flights departing from Winnipeg’s James Richardson International Airport.
The city and much of southern Manitoba remains under a winter storm warning, with a handful of areas around the province under a blizzard warning. The Colorado low is expected to dump as much as 40 centimetres of snow in extreme southeast Manitoba and closer to the U.S. border.
In Winnipeg, about 20-30 centimetres is expected, paired with wind gusts of 60 to 70 km/h.
Some flights scheduled to depart the city this afternoon have already been cancelled, including flights to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Regina, Thompson, Flin Flon, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Calgary, Saskatoon, Toronto, and Red Lake, Ontario.
Cancellations also stretch into Boxing Day, where blizzard-like conditions are predicted to be the worst.
The City of Winnipeg will begin a truck plowing operation at 7 p.m. on regional streets. Bus and collector streets will follow based on snowfall accumulation. Crews are monitoring residential streets to address drifting with spot plows and sand where required. The annual snow route parking ban remains in effect daily from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. until March 1.
Temperatures will drop to -9°C in the city overnight with a high of -10°C in store for Monday. The system will move eastward Boxing Day night and clear up by Tuesday with sunshine and a high of -13°C.
For up-to-date flight information, visit WAA.ca. For roads, consult Manitoba511.ca before venturing out on the highways.
Updated at 4:15 p.m. with additional information
