Looking back: The Blizzard of 1986

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/11/2016 (2874 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thirty years ago today, Winnipeggers were digging out after the worst blizzard in 20 years nearly paralyzed the city for 36 hours.

More than 30 centimetres of snow fell on Winnipeg between Friday, Nov. 7 and Sunday, Nov. 9, 1986.

Knee-high snow drifts covered the grass visible just a day earlier, while winds gusting to 90 kilometres per hour covered stalled vehicles and plugged roadways, forcing most people indoors.

Transit and taxi services were halted until snowplows could clear the roads, and most stores, theatres and restaurants were closed. Some 200 people were stranded at the airport, which closed early Saturday morning. Mayor Bill Norrie authorized the use of snowmobiles on city streets, subject to police approval, to get snowbound emergency professionals such as doctors, nurses, firefighters and police officers to their jobs.

The storm was the worst to hit southern Manitoba since March 1966, when more than 35 cm of snow fell with a 24-hour period.