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Battlefords area snowstorm sends vehicles spinning

Nov 16, 2017 | 4:46 PM

Battlefords area drivers battled a nasty snowstorm Thursday afternoon which sent many vehicles spinning off the roadways.

Darren Ouellette, who was travelling on Highway 16 from Maidstone heading toward North Battleford at about 4 p.m., said traffic was backed up four miles east of Paynton because of the storm. 

He said he saw many vehicles in the ditch, including semi tractor-trailers, as heavy snow and ice build up made driving conditions hazardous.

Ouellette said he hasn’t seen it this treacherous for driving since the time he was driving through the Kootenays in B.C.  

“There’s one foot of snow on the side of the road,” Ouellette, who resides in Regina, said. “It’s crazy.”

The Highway Hotline reported Thursday afternoon icy conditions, heavy, loose and blowing snow, and reduced visibility on Highway 16 from Maidstone to Lloydminster and from Maymont to Langham, with loose blowing snow heading to Saskatoon. Blaine Lake to Hafford on Highway 40 also experienced icy conditions and drifting snow.

The Highway Hotline reported five cm of snowfall Thursday in the Battlefords area, with 10 cm of snowfall over the eastern sections.

 

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow