Storm’s biggest issues occurred outside city limits
By Medicine Hat News on March 30, 2021.
Sheets of blowing snow swept into the region Monday morning and ground highway travel to a near halt, but seem to have spared Hatters from major headaches. The weather began to turn Sunday afternoon following an Environment Canada wind advisory for gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour mixed with flurries. High winds and snow began overnight and continued into the Monday commute, causing travel warnings and a call to remain off highways if possible. Brooks RCMP dealt with a 50-car pileup in the westbound lands of the Trans-Canada Highway as morning driving conditions proved treacherous to travellers. Emergency crews near Brooks responded to calls at about 8:30 a.m. that between 50 and 70 cars were involved in accidents near Range Road 142, east of the city. Traffic flow was hampered for several hours as travellers were detoured around the site, but RCMP advised that drivers avoid the area and avoid travel in general. A reception centre was open at the Heritage Inn in Brooks for those unable or unwilling to travel. Whiteout in region At 9:30 a.m. Alberta Motor Association reported bare conditions between Medicine Hat and Suffield on the TCH, but poor and deteriorating conditions throughout the rest of the region. The TCH east of Brooks, Highway 41 (north of Empress and south of the TCH) and Highway 3 (west of Taber), were all snow covered. In Saskatchewan, travel was not recommended on most major and secondary highways between North Battleford and Swift Current along the Alberta boundary. The Trans-Canada between Maple Creek and Swift Current was reported to be partly covered with snow and ice, as were most areas south of the TCH Weather warning Huge swaths of southern Alberta were put under a wind warning by Environment Canada last Sunday night, and it the Medicine Hat, Foremost, Brooks and Oyen regions gust of up to 100 kilometres per hour are not expected to ease until late afternoon. Scattered power problems The City of Medicine Hat utility department reported no major problems Monday. Despite high winds and ice buildup throughout the region, Fortis reported only about two dozen rural addresses lost power in southeast Alberta during the worst of Monday’s storm. About 16 customers between Duchess and Countess in the County of Newell were without power for most of the day after ice buildup knocked out power. More outages dotted areas north of Jenner in Special Areas No. 2, though they were reconnected by mid-afternoon. SaskPower reported a huge swath of its territory north of Leader, along the Alberta boundary, was without power from 7 a.m. on and the cause couldn’t be determined by noon as crews were hampered by winds and drifting snow. A pole fire disrupted power in the region north of Kyle, Sask., to Saksatchewan Landing and Elrose. 20-19
