Sask. RCMP respond to 55 weather-related highway calls in one day

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After the Saskatchewan RCMP spent Friday dealing with approximately one weather-related highway incident every 15 minutes, officers pleaded with drivers to take extra precautions.

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Communities from Melville in the south to Stony Rapids in the north, and dozens of others in between, are under an extreme cold warning as temperatures plunge.

Environment Canada says temperatures in eastern, central and northern Saskatchewan are expected to plunge below -40 C on Friday night, with “further wind chills colder than minus 40 … expected over the weekend.”

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Blowing snow is affecting conditions on many Saskatchewan roads, reducing visibility to “near zero” or “zero.”

RCMP say officers have spent the day responding to vehicles in ditches, vehicles stuck in the snow, and multiple collisions.

“If you’re thinking of heading out, we urge you to check the Highway Hotline for road conditions and to track which roads have been plowed, salted, and/or sanded within the last two hours,” RCMP said in a news release on Friday afternoon. 

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