Snowfall, winter storm warnings in effect for southeastern Saskatchewan | CBC News

Hopes for spring for many Saskatchewan residents were dashed Wednesday morning, as they woke up to a blanket of white.

Environment Canada has issued snowfall or winter storm warnings for the entire southeast corner of Saskatchewan, as of 8 a.m. CST Wednesday.

A low pressure complex near the Canada-United States border is travelling east, bringing heavy snowfall to southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba, according to Environment Canada’s website.

The weather agency expects snow to be heaviest Wednesday morning, but snow is expected to accumulate into Thursday.

Places under a snowfall warning in Saskatchewan, including Regina, could see 10 to 20 cm of snow and periods of blowing snow, with winds gusting up to 50 km/h.

Locations under a winter storm warning, such as the Carlyle-Oxbow-Carnduff-Bienfait-Stoughton area, may get 15 to 40 cm of snow, with winds up to 50 km/h, gusting to 70 km/h.

Environment Canada says the weather may make travel difficult and reduce visibility.

It suggests postponing non-essential travel, but those who are travelling should be prepared for quickly worsening conditions.

As of 8:30 a.m. CST Wednesday, Saskatchewan’s Highway Hotline map shows most of the province’s roads are experiencing winter conditions, but most of the roads in the southeastern corner also have poor visibility.

“I’m going to knock on wood right now because it has been very, very quiet at our call centre,” said Peter Kreis, CAA Saskatchewan’s vice president of operations, who’s in charge of roadside assistance, while on CBC Radio’s Morning Edition around 6:15 a.m. CST.

“I’m hoping that people are heeding the warnings and staying put.”

If someone gets stuck while driving, Kreis suggests sitting tight and, once in a while, exiting the vehicle to check that the exhaust is clear.

They could also call CAA roadside assistance at 1-800-222-4357, he said.