Blizzard blasts Saskatoon
Darren Bernhardt, Saskatchewan News Network; CanWest News Service
Published: Thursday, January 11, 2007
SASKATOON -- It will go down as one of the most intense blizzards in the city's history, claiming the lives of two people on a reserve and grinding Saskatoon to a virtual halt.
"We're ranking right up there with a first-class Prairie blizzard," said Environment Canada's Larry Flysak. "It's an extreme event. We've got it all. It's something we'll always remember."
A motorist and a tow truck driver discovered the bodies of two people along an access road on the Onion Lake First Nation just after 10 a.m. An 18-year-old man and 38-year-old woman, both residents of Onion Lake First Nation, were caught in the blizzard and died from exposure after attempting to walk home from their vehicle, say RCMP.
The only Saskatoon storm in the past half-century that comes close to Wednesday's occurred Dec. 12, 1955. It lasted 26 hours with winds hitting 121 kilometres per hour and leaving nine centimetres of snow behind. The 2007 blizzard began around midnight Jan. 10 and grew stronger through the day with winds pushing 90 kilometres per hour and snow totals around 25 centimetres by 6 p.m., with more to come.
"It's tough to calculate newly fallen snow in a blizzard because it's blowing around so much," said Flysak.
The blizzard obliterates the single-day snowfall record for Jan. 10 in Saskatoon. The greatest accumulation recorded on this date was 10.2 centimetres in 1938.
Since 1953 there have been 18 blizzards recorded in the city but other than in 1955, none compare to the snow and duration of Wednesday's blast, though Edward William "Ted" Meeres might disagree.
He died at age 27 after being trapped in an 1888 blizzard, making his way home from a neighbour's house on the spacious Prairie. He wanted to check his livestock and lost his way. The location today is approximately the corner of Broadway Avenue and 10th Street.
Almost 120 years later, Mother Nature has proven she still wields power. Abandoned vehicles littered the city Wednesday, paralysed by the snow and poor visibility.
All branches of the public library closed in the afternoon as did city leisure facilities, indoor skating rinks and public schools. Several businesses were allowing their employees to go home early while the University of Saskatchewan shut down along with SIAST Kelsey campus and government agencies.
All services are expected to resume at U of S today, although classes will be held at the discretion of the colleges. SIAST expected to reopen classes today.
About 40 staff and students at U of S were planning to spend the night on campus in residence lounges. Some public schools students were also contemplating nights away from home.
Students riding a bus from Mount Royal Collegiate found themselves unable to get home and were taken to Dundonald School for the night.
Public schools spokeswoman Joy Adams Bauer said school administrators will staff any school housing students overnight. Contingency plans are in effect and officials are making sleeping arrangements and providing food.
At Centennial Collegiate, assistant principal Tom Sargeant was busy pushing cars out of the snow in the school's parking lot. Forty students were stranded at the collegiate into the evening, waiting to see if they could get home. "Until the last student leaves, I'll be here," Sargeant said.
Pedestrians struggle across Third Avenue North in downtown Saskatoon on Wednesday, as a blizzard blanketed the city, reducing visibility and closing many roads.
Photograph by : Greg Pender/Saskatoon StarPhoenix
