Nasty winter storm to blast Prairie provinces with heavy snow, fierce winds

It’s shaping up to be a nasty blast of winter across the Prairies today with snowstorms and blizzards set to dump up to 30 centimetres in some areas.

Environment Canada says heavy snow will have a stranglehold on morning commutes in parts of northwestern Alberta, starting in Grande Prairie and heading east towards Edmonton, before tapering off later Wednesday.

Blizzard conditions are also likely to develop in areas near the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary, with wind gusts in cities such as Regina and Saskatoon reaching up to 110 kilometres an hour.

Southern Manitoba can also expect 10 to 20 centimetres of snow from the Alberta Clipper moving in this evening, along with possible freezing rain and wind gusts near 90 kilometres an hour.

The weather office says residents should be prepared for possible school and road closures, as well as scattered utility outages.

Meanwhile, northern parts of all three provinces can expect bitter wind chills near -45 C through until Thursday.