Swift Current had its electric grid run through the snowstorm blitz test yesterday.

With the inaugural freeze laying down such a heavy start to the winter season, it's only natural for there to be repercussions.

One is that the forces of nature lead to the power going out for some residents in and around Swift Current throughout the day.

Speaking on some of the voltage consequences from the whiteout conditions, was Joel Cherry. Cherry, who is a media spokesperson for SaskPower,  was as surprised as anyone else by the intense winter display.

"We did see pretty significant outages, especially in the Moose Jaw area," said Cherry. "We had 12,700 customers off at one point yesterday [in need of service]."

While Moose Jaw is currently being rocked by the aftermath of the snowstorm even today, with virtually every road to and from the town being labelled as closed or not recommended for travel, Swift Current and area didn't have it easy either.

"In the rural areas around Swift Current, we have been seeing the same degree of outages. These sort of conditions in general, really heavy wet snow, tend to lead to widespread outages for a couple of reasons."

One of those reasons is wet snow clinging to powerlines, weighing them down and damaging them. It can also happen to trees, tearing off big heavy limbs made heavier by the sleet and ice, dropping through adjacent power lines.

While they do try to get repairs rapidly remedied, the Crown Corporation will place their crew's safety before anything else.

"Our crews have to be able to do the work safely," Cherry said. "We're hoping for some good progress in terms of clearing up the roads today and we'll get out there and make those repairs as soon as we can."