[ninty]

May snowstorm dumps on Western Canada
Last Updated Tue, 11 May 2004 16:59:01
REGINA - Snow – lots of it – fell on parts of Western Canada and northwestern Ontario on Tuesday, causing police to issue travel advisories and shut down highways.


In southern Alberta people were struggling to cope with the snowfall. Calgary was expecting up to 10 centimetres of snow.

But southeastern Saskatchewan was expected to be hit the hardest, with up to 40 centimetres of snow expected. Thousands of people were left without electricity early on Tuesday as power lines went down between Estevan, Midale and Stoughton.

The storm dropped snow heavy enough to reduce visibility in southern Manitoba as well, making it difficult to get around the southwestern part of the province.

There were whiteout conditions outside Winnipeg where there were reports of power outages in the eastern part of the city, as well as in the communities of Carman and Morden. The Trans-Canada Highway was closed between Virden and Portage la Prairie.

While southern Ontario was basking in warm sunshine, northwestern Ontario struggled with snow and ice. The Dryden area was expected to get between five and 15 centimetres Tuesday, followed by rain.

Poor visibility and icy roads caused police to close down about 60 kilometres along Highway 17 near the Manitoba border. There were several car accidents in the area, but no reported injuries.

http://www.cbc.ca/clips/mov/beauregard_ ... 405111.mov