‘Get off those roads,’ Manitoba RCMP say as blizzard strands drivers, closes highways and schools

Drivers were stranded, power was out, schools and highways were closed, flights were cancelled, over 100 buses were stuck and services like home care and garbage collection were delayed as a blizzard created dangerous conditions across southern Manitoba.

The Alberta clipper that walloped parts of the Prairie province Thursday brought winds gusting to 90 km/h and created a shroud of blowing snow.

Snowfall amounts reported by Environment and Climate Change Canada by late afternoon ranged from eight centimetres in Winnipeg to 19 in Argyle — but noted strong winds made snowfall measurements difficult, so those amounts may vary significantly.

Early Thursday, the storm left some drivers stuck in their vehicles and unable to go anywhere because of poor road conditions that quickly engulfed them, as Environment Canada issued winter storm warnings in southeastern Manitoba and extreme cold warnings in the north.

Manitoba RCMP said Thursday morning they’d gotten calls from about 20 people whose vehicles even officers and tow truck operators couldn’t reach — though staff with the Mounties’ communications centre were regularly checking in with those drivers by phone to make sure they were safe.

PHOTOS | Blizzard buries Manitoba under snow:

“Ideally, you want to get off those roads. With that wind … visibility is next to nothing, especially when you’re outside the city on the highways. Visibility’s everything when it comes to driving safely,” said RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre.

Between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Mounties got 11 reports of crashes on highways throughout the province, as well as several reports of vehicles stuck in ditches.

Some roads within Winnipeg became hard to navigate because of drifts and snow cover, and many highways were closed — including parts of the Trans-Canada Highway and, at one point, the Perimeter Highway surrounding the city.

“There’s no reason to be out there,” Manaigre said.

Anyone caught driving on a closed highway could face a fine of about $200.

“It’s a snow day. Take advantage of it and stay home.”

WATCH | Husband-and-wife snowplow team braves Winnipeg blizzard:

Husband-and-wife snowplow team braves Winnipeg blizzard

CBC News Network host Andrew Nichols talks to husband-and-wife snowplow operators Kyle Smith and Demi Holztrager in East St. Paul about the blizzard that swept into the Winnipeg area overnight Wednesday, causing blowing snow and whiteout conditions.

The storm led to the rare step of all public school divisions in Winnipeg closing for the day — something that hasn’t happened because of weather since a storm in 2022, when schools and administration offices across the city closed their doors, although Pembina Trails School Division still held classes online.

Before that, schools across Winnipeg hadn’t closed due to weather for 25 years.

The blizzard also left well over 100 buses stuck in the snow throughout what Rick Young, Winnipeg Transit’s manager of operations, called a “challenging” day.

Young said the city’s Bridgwater area, which has several roundabouts, was especially difficult for buses — and added while he hopes routes will be closer to normal Friday, he encouraged riders to check Transit’s website for schedule changes, “dress warm [and] make sure you’re prepared to stand for a while.”

WATCH | Riley Laychuk gives his forecast for a stormy Thursday:

Riley Laychuk’s Manitoba forecast for Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025

Winds die down across the south through the the day, but cold air moves in as the snow moves out.

Manitoba Hydro also dealt with  a number of power outages both in Winnipeg and outside the city, including one Thursday morning that extended along Pembina Highway and included the University of Manitoba.

The U of M, the University of Winnipeg, Canadian Mennonite University and Booth University College in Winnipeg were closed Thursday and have postponed exams. RRC Polytech’s Winnipeg and regional campuses were also closed for the day.

Many flights in and out of Winnipeg were also delayed or cancelled by the storm, a spokesperson for the Winnipeg Airports Authority said — a development that left some travellers waiting at the city’s airport wondering when they might be able to board.

“It’s been very hectic all morning. Everyone’s been trying to get on different flights, and trying to get around, take whatever they can,” Antonio Raposo said as he waited at the airport to see when he would be able to fly to Las Vegas for a planned getaway.

WATCH | Cameron MacIntosh reports on the stormy conditions in Winnipeg:

Blizzard wallops southern Manitoba

An Alberta Clipper, with winds gusting to 90 km/h, is creating a shroud of blowing snow and cutting visibility to near zero in places.

Jim Kurtz, who was in Winnipeg this week for work and was trying to get back to Ontario, said he wasn’t worried about his flight being delayed further.

“It is what it is,” Kurtz said. “I’d rather get home safe than the alternative.”

The City of Winnipeg also cancelled garbage and recycling pickup Thursday and rescheduled it for Friday instead — with Friday collection now getting pushed to Saturday.

What else to know

The storm also forced the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority to significantly reduce its home care services, meaning most clients wouldn’t be seen Thursday — unless they’re considered high risk, a news release said.

A number of other health-care services were also affected, Shared Health said.

Anyone planning to be out on the roads can find a complete list of travel information and road conditions on the Manitoba government’s website.

In Winnipeg, the Brady Road landfill and all 4R recycling depots were also closed.

Snow-clearing crews have been working on the city’s main roads since 1 a.m., while sidewalk plowing was paused later Thursday because of blowing snow, a news release said. 

The city expected to resume clearing sidewalks and pathways at 7 p.m., when a grader plow on main routes was also scheduled to begin. A back lane plow was scheduled for 7 a.m. Saturday.

Michael Cantor, the city’s manager of streets maintenance, said a plow of residential streets was scheduled to start Sunday at 7 a.m. and be complete by Tuesday at 7 p.m., but trouble spots could be addressed before then.

“We wanted to take into account the snow that is forecasted for tomorrow and allow some time to clear that, if we get the five to 10 centimetres forecasted,” Cantor told reporters during a virtual scrum Thursday afternoon.

He said this type of job usually sees 200 to 300 pieces of equipment on the city’s streets, and asked people to stay off the roads until Friday if possible to help them clear the snow.

“The advice is to avoid,” Cantor said. “It’s best to travel when conditions are best, and they’re not at this point. So if you can delay that, that’s great.”

A residential parking ban is scheduled to start Sunday at 7 a.m. and continue until Tuesday at 7 p.m., the city said in a news release, adding it will suspend the winter route parking ban during that time.

As usual, different areas of Winnipeg are being plowed at different times. Residents can find their zone on the city’s snow map.

In addition to Winnipeg public schools, a number of private schools, including St. John’s-Ravenscourt School and Balmoral Hall School, were also closed for the day.

The following school divisions outside Winnipeg also shut down for the day:

• Beautiful Plains.
• Border Land.
• Evergreen.
• Fort La Bosse.
• Garden Valley.
• Hanover.
• Interlake.
• Lord Selkirk.
• Prairie Rose.
• Prairie Spirit.
• Red River Valley.
• Seine River.
• Turtle Mountain.
• Rolling River.
• Western.

Brandon School Division buses were not operating outside the city, where the storm closed Alexander, O’Kelly and Spring Valley schools. All other Brandon schools were open and buses were running within the city. However, attendance was at parental discretion where travel is required.

For university students, the University of Manitoba, CMU and Booth have rescheduled exams to Friday and the U of M has put them off to Saturday.

WATCH | Southern Manitoba hit with a blast of winter:

Southern Manitoba hit with a blast of winter

A blizzard caused major disruptions including highway closures, schools shut for the day and cancellations and delays at Winnipeg’s airport.