The massive winter storm coming out of Alberta is now in full swing across Saskatchewan, and snowfall totals are expected to reach over a foot deep in some areas.
The low pressure system piling up snow is bringing powerful winds and low temperatures with it, with 70-80 km/h gusts. That will make it feel lower than –40 C along the central part of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.
Chris Stammers, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said more snow is coming, but the majority has passed.
“This isn’t really your classic Alberta clipper. It’s more of what we call a Montana low,” said Stammers. “These are notorious heavy snowfall producers. They’re very slow-moving, so they give prolonged periods of snow. So there will be snow falling much of today through the province and things will linger even longer in Manitoba through Thursday.”
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The snow has been coming down hard in Saskatchewan, after a few weeks of warmer weather. But people in Saskatoon say they don’t mind another round of winter.
Stammers reported that around 6 a.m. CST on Wednesday, snowfall totals in the areas of Meadow Lake and the Battlefords reached about 20 cm, with another 20 cm possibly still to fall.
Early in the morning, Regina and Saskatoon had about 12 cm of snow, which seemed to nearly double in the next few hours. The cities’ snow crews announced all hands on deck Tuesday, and clearance has been ongoing.
Regina snow clearing crews have been working to clear major roads and intersections like Albert Street and Broad Street. (Eric Stachowich/CBC)
The snow started in the west central area of the province two nights ago, and the region southeast of Regina saw the inclement weather begin with a bout of freezing rain Tuesday afternoon. What followed was drifting, blowing snow with near-zero visibility on many major highways, triggering warnings of travel not recommended.
“The good news on the wind is it’s going to be dying down through the morning here,” Stammers said. “Very poor travel conditions noticed on the highway map. Basically the eastern half of the province all has travel not recommended this morning.”
Stammers said the cold should lift within the next few days, and regular February temperatures will return, with no melting in sight for at least the next 10 days.
WATCH | Major winter storm blankets Saskatchewan in snow:
Major winter storm blankets Saskatchewan in snow
Environment and Climate Change Canada says some parts of the province can expect up to 40 centimetres of snow by the storm’s end.
“As we update any warnings … certainly keep an eye on the highway map for the day,” Stammers said. “Definitely if you don’t have to travel, it’s a good day to not.”
Saskatchewan RCMP said they had divisional officers working on roads, ready to respond to calls.
As of mid-afternoon, dispatchers had received around 65 calls for traffic-related incidents.
“We have not seen any fatal collisions or any serious collisions at this time,” said operations officer Lee Knelsen.
About half of the province’s highways are currently under a ‘travel not recommended’ warning on the Highway Hotline. (Eric Stachowich/CBC)
Knelsen said that number mostly represented stranded motorists and other minor traffic-related incidents.
Highways ministry spokesperson Dan Palmer said the minsitry’s website and mobile apps had a combined 2.49 million visits by mid-afternoon.
“As we’ve been seeing throughout this system, and it sounds like in the days ahead, the weather is constantly changing,” he said.
Saskatchewan Government Insurance spokesperson Heather Hubric agreed.
“So often when it’s the winter months, we forget to adjust our driving accordingly and we leave at the same time as we always do,” Hubic said.
When conditions are less than ideal, it’s important to go back to basics — leaving more room between vehicles, accelerating and braking gently, and being alert while crossing intersections, she said.
Scenes from Regina, Saskatchewan, during a snow storm on Feb. 18, 2026. (Eric Stachowich/CBC News)
“We see 16 per cent of collisions in the winter months are attributed to following too closely. So make sure to give lots of room between you and the vehicle in front of you,” she said.
“A lot of times if it’s poor conditions or those roadways are slippery, drivers may need a little extra time to clear that intersection.”
Travel and postage delays
Airports in Regina and Saskatoon posted delays and cancellations, which began Tuesday night due to the weather. More than half of the outgoing flights from Regina were delayed, and in Saskatoon, four flights were cancelled in the morning and three were listed as delayed in the afternoon.
Canada Post also issued a red delivery service alert for Regina, suspending delivery for the day, and a yellow delivery service alert, under which staff will do their best to deliver packages, for the rest of the province.
The postal service said updates are posted to its web page and social media platforms.
Upcoming temperatures ‘well below normal’
Danielle Desjardins, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the system should slowly start to taper off from southeast to northeast overnight and into Thursday.
“We are seeing a ridge of high pressure build into the province that’s ushering in some cold Arctic air returning again to the province,” she said. “So we’re expecting temperatures to be well below normal pretty much for the rest of the month.”
Desjardins said that’s especially true for the next four to five days, when daytime highs could be in the minus teens and maybe even the –20s for some areas.
She said overnight lows could be pushing the –30s for parts of southern Saskatchewan as well.
“Although we’re not expecting strong winds under the ridge … we could see those wind chill values approach –40, so keep an eye out.”
