Livestock producers in southeast Saskatchewan and Manitoba are preparing for a major spring blizzard.
Environment Canada saying this could be one of the worst spring storms to hit the area in decades.
Forecasters saying a Colorado Low is expected to move in tonight bringing heavy snow, strong winds and poor visibility, with conditions getting worse as time goes on.
Blizzard warnings have been issues for Southeast Saskatchewan and most of Manitoba calling for anywhere from 30 to 50 centimetres of snow by Friday and northerly winds gusting 70 to 90 km an hour giving zero visibility at times in snow and blowing snow.
Environment Canada says there's the potential for snow accumulations as high as 80 cm possible along the western side of the Red River Valley, the Riding Mountains, and the Turtle Mountains.
People are being not to travel, and advised to be prepared for power outages, and to stock up on supplies and medication.
Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist Catherine Lang says for livestock producers, it's important to put out extra feed for the animals and be as prepared as you can:
"Some things that are really important to make sure you have in place is some shelter, so those animals can get out of the wind and out of the blowing snow and contain that heat within the herd a little better, just some shelter from the wind. It's important to get some bedding out there, especially for cows that are calving, try to get those calves born on dry bedding is going to be the best chance to keep them from getting sick."
She notes it's also important to get cows in closer to facilities that may calve during the storm, and don't forget to think about what you might need for those newborns.
"That could mean getting a few bags of colostrum on the shelf back to your home so that they're ready if those new calves are born and need an extra dose of colostrum. Then after the storm unfortunately, if those calves are wet and cold, you can be dealing with some sick calves with the aftermath of a storm. So having some electrolytes on hand or any other medication needed for scouring calves or calves with pneumonia to get them back on track."
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