Winter storm warning for northern Manitoba; plows on standby

Updated 7:35 p.m. MT, Oct. 23, 2026: adds the province’s snowplow and highway advisory, Environment Canada’s revised rain and freezing rain amounts, and the new wind warning for Churchill.

Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for northern Manitoba, including Lynn Lake, Pukatawagan, Brochet, Leaf Rapids, Tadoule Lake and South Indian Lake, with 20 to 40 centimetres of snow expected from Friday night into Sunday. The province says its snowplow crews are ready and is urging drivers to check Manitoba 511 before they travel.

The agency said precipitation and strong northerly winds will arrive overnight Friday into Saturday morning, starting mostly as rain or freezing rain before changing to snow through the day Saturday. Its latest update calls for 20 to 30 millimetres of rain and 5 to 10 millimetres of freezing rain, with wind gusts above 90 km/h closer to the Nunavut border. Snow and wind are forecast to taper off Sunday afternoon and evening, according to the Environment Canada warning.

Environment Canada said travel will likely be hazardous, visibility could suddenly drop to near zero in blowing snow, especially Saturday afternoon and evening, and property or tree damage is possible.

Churchill now under a wind warning

The earlier winter storm watch for Churchill and Arviat, Nunavut, has been changed to a wind warning. Environment Canada expects northeasterly gusts of 100 km/h on Saturday and northwesterly gusts possibly topping 110 km/h on Sunday, with reduced visibility in blowing snow. Local utility outages, travel disruptions and some property damage are possible, and residents should secure loose objects, the agency said.

Province says plows are ready

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure said in a media bulletin Friday afternoon that provincial snow-clearing crews are equipped and ready to clear highways. The department said the system should start as rain overnight, change to snow by Saturday and move out of the region over the next three days. It expects snow in the Flin Flon and Thompson areas, with heavier amounts farther north, and said some areas could get up to 70 millimetres of precipitation. As of Friday evening, Environment Canada had no warning in effect for Thompson or Flin Flon.

Drivers should check Manitoba 511 for current road conditions before heading out. The site’s Track My Plow feature shows active snowplows and where they have driven over the past two hours. The province said road patrols update the site regularly, but conditions can change within minutes. It is illegal to drive on a closed road, and motorists can be fined.

The province clears snow in partnership with 52 local governments and with contractors who look after low-volume gravel roads. It has also installed 20 permanent digital message boards and 19 highway cameras that show live traffic delays, closures, detours and weather advisories.

Residents can report severe weather to Environment Canada at [email protected], by phone at 1-800-239-0484, or on social media with the hashtag #MBStorm.

The storm follows a wide band of fall weather across the Prairies. Read Up to 40 cm of snow for northern Sask., wind warnings south, our winter storm prep checklist and our Weekend Ready guide to Prairie snow, tire rules and Halloween.

This story will be updated as the warning changes. Last checked 7:30 p.m. MT, Oct. 23, 2026.

Updated 6:30 a.m. MT Saturday: Environment Canada’s winter storm warnings remain in effect for Churchill, Arviat, Brochet, Lynn Lake, Leaf Rapids, Pukatawagan, South Indian Lake and Tadoule Lake. For Churchill and Arviat, the agency said to expect 10 to 25 cm of snow, 20 to 30 mm of rain and gusts possibly exceeding 110 km/h, with visibility suddenly dropping to near zero in blowing snow. Rain or freezing rain is expected to change to snow this evening, and the storm should taper off Sunday afternoon. Local utility outages are likely. Wind warnings were also issued for the Glenella-Lansdowne and McCreary areas of southwestern Manitoba.

Updated 9:30 a.m. MT Saturday: Environment Canada’s winter storm warnings remain in effect for northern Manitoba, with rain and freezing rain changing to snow this evening and the storm tapering off Sunday afternoon. In western Manitoba, wind warnings cover the Dauphin, Ste. Rose, Ethelbert and McCreary areas, where west winds coming down Riding Mountain could gust up to 100 km/h this morning before easing in the afternoon.

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Sources: Environment Canada public alerts; Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure media bulletin, Oct. 23, 2026.