SASKATCHEWAN — Update 3: Most power had been restored across Saskatchewan by Friday morning after a powerful windstorm swept through the province, but SaskPower crews continued working on several outages tied to storm damage and unsafe overnight conditions.
As of about 8 a.m. May 15, outages remained in parts of Regina, southeast Saskatchewan, Piapot First Nation and several rural communities. SaskPower crews resumed repairs Friday morning after strong overnight winds forced some work to pause for safety reasons.
One of the larger remaining outages affected the Radville and Lake Alma areas, including communities near Ceylon and Minton. SaskPower said crews stopped work overnight because of dangerous wind conditions and resumed repairs around 7 a.m. Friday, with power expected to be restored by mid-afternoon.
In southwest Saskatchewan, outages tied to damaged transmission structures continued in areas including Eastend, Consul, Claydon and Robsart, where repairs had already been delayed Thursday because of hazardous weather conditions.
In Regina, an outage reported overnight affected parts of Whitmore Park around Durham Drive and Daffodil Crescent. Crews had been dispatched and were determining the cause and repair time Friday morning.
Additional outages remained in White Bear Lake, Piapot First Nation, rural areas north of Midale and parts of North Battleford’s east side.
The widespread outages followed a major spring storm that brought wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h to parts of Saskatchewan on Thursday, knocking down trees, damaging power infrastructure and reducing visibility with blowing dust in some areas.
Most outages reported Thursday in Regina and surrounding communities had been restored overnight.
SaskPower continues urging residents to stay clear of downed power lines and report outages or hazards as cleanup efforts continue across the province.
Update 2: In Regina, as of 8 p.m., power had been restored throughout the city except for Dominion Heights, where crews are working to repair damaged poles. They estimated power to be restored at approximately 2 a.m.
Also, as of 8 p.m., crews have been dispatched and are determining the cause and repair time for the outage reported in Piapot First Nation.
Due to safety reasons due to high winds, SaskPower says crews will cease work for the night and will continue to work on repairs between Radville and Lake Alma at approximately 7 a.m. Friday and anticipate power to be restored in mid-afternoon.
In the Shaunavon-Admiral area, crews have completed preparatory work for repairs. Unfortunately, due to high winds and safety concerns, crews cannot resume repair work until conditions improve. For customers in Claydon, Consul, Eastend, Robsart, and surrounding rural areas, power is estimated to be restored no earlier than late afternoon, Friday, May 15.
Crews have been dispatched and are determining the cause and repair time for the outage reported north and south of Gainsborough.
Update 1: Strong winds sweeping across the province continued to cause widespread SaskPower outages Thursday afternoon, leaving thousands of customers without electricity in Regina and communities across southern Saskatchewan.
SaskPower crews were responding to numerous unplanned outages tied largely to wind damage, damaged transmission structures and hazardous working conditions.
Surrounding communities and resort areas including White City, Emerald Park, Craven, Regina Beach, Lumsden, Strasbourg and Last Mountain Lake areas were also impacted.
Additional outages were reported Thursday afternoon in The Greens, Windsor Park, River Bend, Gardiner Heights and Wood Meadows, along with Pilot Butte and Emerald Park. SaskPower said crews had been dispatched and were investigating causes and restoration times.
In southwest Saskatchewan, some of the most severe outages remained around Eastend, Consul, Claydon and Robsart, where damaged transmission structures and dangerous winds delayed repairs. SaskPower said power was not expected to be restored before late Friday afternoon in some areas.
Other outages were reported in and around Weyburn, Radville, Midale, Moose Jaw, Tisdale, Carlyle, Gainsborough, Kipling, Piapot First Nation, Bethune and Chamberlain.
In Weyburn, SaskPower said crews were unable to safely remove a tree from a power line because of strong winds near 7th Avenue Southeast and Railway Avenue. No restoration time had been provided as of Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, emergency repairs near Esterhazy resulted in a planned outage Thursday afternoon affecting Atwater and surrounding rural areas while crews repaired a damaged crossarm.
Environment Canada had issued multiple wind and blowing dust advisories across southern Saskatchewan, warning gusts could exceed 100 km/h in some regions.
SaskPower advised residents to stay clear of downed power lines and continue checking outage updates as conditions evolve.
