semi3
A semi went off of Highway 11 at Girvin Wednesday afternoon, forcing the road to be shut down for several hours (Photo: RCMP)

A quick blast of winter caused some big problems in Swift Current and across southern Saskatchewan.

Snow and freezing rain hit the area late Wednesday afternoon, leaving roads very icy and a number of homes in the north side of Swift Current without power. City Light and Power says the outage was caused by a damaged line and service was fully restored about two hours later.

The icy road conditions caused a number of collisions, including a big one on Highway 11 where two semis collided at Girvin early in the afternoon. No one was hurt, but the highway was closed between Regina and Davidson well into the evening, and hundreds of vehicles were backed up. Stranded travellers were offered to stay for the night in town halls in Craik and Davidson.

Highways in the southwest are still very slippery, although conditions are expected to improve through the day. For the latest road conditions, call the Highway Hotline at 1-888-335-7623, or click the Road Report link on Swift Current Online.