Flin Flon may or may not have a white Christmas, but it will definitely have a white Christmas eve. The area is under a snowfall warning, with about half a foot of the white stuff expected by Friday.
The warning was put into effect Thursday morning by Environment Canada and covers all areas and communities around Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach, along with Saskatchewan Highway 106 (the Hanson Lake Road).
"A low pressure system approaching from Saskatchewan will bring 10 to 15 centimetres of new snow to parts of northern Manitoba tonight and into Friday," reads the Environment Canada warning. Travellers are advised to take heed of blowing snow, partially covered roads and possible poor visibilty.
"Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow... Public Safety Canada encourages everyone to make an emergency plan and get an emergency kit with drinking water, food, medicine, a first-aid kit and a flashlight."
According to current Environment Canada forecasts, about two to four centimetres of snow is expected Thursday, with another five to 10 centimetres Thursday night and another two to four centimetres Friday before noon.
All told, areas in Manitoba from Flin Flon and Snow Lake, Thompson and Nelson House and Lynn Lake, Leaf Rapids and Pukatawagan are under warnings. In Saskatchewan, warnings stretch west to east in a band across the northern part of the province, from La Loche and Buffalo Narrows in the west to Pelican Narrows, Sandy Bay, Creighton and Denare Beach in the east.
Forecasts for Christmas day and early next week show cold temperatures, with expected highs in the low minus-20s, but with no further snow until Sunday night, where a 60 per cent chance of flurries is expected.
