The Ides Of March Blizzard

One of the worst snowstorms in Canadian history

The day of March 15, 1941 started normal enough for the residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The weather was warm and sunny, and it seemed that spring was just around the corner.

Then, everything changed in a moment.

An Alberta Clipper swept into the two Prairie Provinces, coming down from the Rockies and bringing with it whiteout conditions, blistering winds and -45 C weather.

One newspaper wrote,

“The blizzard slammed into the valley virtually out of nowhere with the force of a tornado or a hurricane and turned what had been a bright, sunny, warm spring-like day into a raging nightmare.”

It was described as the worst blizzard to hit the Canadian Prairies in two decades.

Since the weather had been so warm, many people were suddenly stranded in their cars on the roads without proper winter clothing. Stranded, they left their cars to walk home. Along the way, they dealt with rapidly falling temperatures and a blizzard that obscured all the landmarks around them.

Nearly all the rural lines in Manitoba and Saskatchewan were out of order. Regina saw 34 car accidents during the storm, including two street cars that collided with each other.

Near Regina, one man became lost in the storm and suffered severe frostbite on his hands and face. A woman was involved in a car accident in Regina, suffering a severe head injury.

In Winnipeg, firefighters dealt with over 100 calls to help people during the storm. Several fires started in the city due to defective chimneys, and people trying to stay warm without adequate heating in their home.

The blizzard lasted for two days before the weather started to warm and improve.

The storm killed five people in Canada, who died in the space of seven hours. Another 38 were killed in North Dakota and 28 in Minnesota.

The dead in Canada included a mother and daughter, two men, a woman and an unidentified man.

One man, Fred Ebel, was 57. He lived near Weyburn, Saskatchewan. He was trying to get medicine for his sick wife. Getting off the train after it became stranded in the deep snow, he set out on foot. He made it to a neighbour’s farm where he warmed up. He left despite their pleas to stay. His body was found the next day.

Another man, Arsinte Baitan, left to find some lost cattle in the storm on his property near Crystal Hill, Saskatchewan. His body was found the next day.

This storm is one of the main reasons why police recommend you don’t leave your car when you are stranded in a blizzard on the highway.