Government of Saskatchewan ministries, Crown corporations and organizations are implementing contingency plans to minimize the impacts of postal service disruption.

Les ministères, sociétés d’État et organismes du gouvernement de la Saskatchewan mettent en œuvre des plans d’urgence visant à réduire les répercussions de l’interruption du service des postes.

Google Translate Disclaimer

A number of pages on the Government of Saskatchewan's website have been professionally translated in French. These translations are identified by a yellow box in the right or left rail that resembles the link below. The home page for French-language content on this site can be found at:

Renseignements en Français

Where an official translation is not available, Google™ Translate can be used. Google™ Translate is a free online language translation service that can translate text and web pages into different languages. Translations are made available to increase access to Government of Saskatchewan content for populations whose first language is not English.

Software-based translations do not approach the fluency of a native speaker or possess the skill of a professional translator. The translation should not be considered exact, and may include incorrect or offensive language. The Government of Saskatchewan does not warrant the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information translated by this system. Some files or items cannot be translated, including graphs, photos and other file formats such as portable document formats (PDFs).

Any person or entities that rely on information obtained from the system does so at his or her own risk. Government of Saskatchewan is not responsible for any damage or issues that may possibly result from using translated website content. If you have any questions about Google™ Translate, please visit: Google™ Translate FAQs.

Winter Road Terminology

You can also download the Highway Hotline Terminology Fact Sheet in PDF format.

Visibility Conditions

Conditions Definition
Visibility Good You can see more than 500 metres.
Visibility Reduced You can see between 250 to 500 metres.
Visibility Poor You can see less than 250 metres. Under this condition, Highway maintenance equipment will not begin work on the road until visibility improves. Equipment already on the road may be removed if visibility continues to deteriorate.
Visibility Zero You can see less than 100 metres. Under this condition, Highway maintenance equipment may be removed.

Primary Conditions

Conditions Definition
Bare (Dry/Wet)
All wheels of a passenger vehicle are on a bare surface, and some patches of snow and ice may be present.
  – Bare and Dry: Most of the road surface is dry.
  – Bare and Wet: Most of the road surface is wet.
 
Partly Covered Two wheels of a passenger vehicle are on a snow or ice-covered surface.
Covered All wheels of a passenger vehicle are on snow or ice.
Travel Not Recommended This means that visibility is less than 250 metres (Poor); and/or highway could become impassable due to road surface conditions (ice, snow, snow drifts, etc.) or extreme weather events.
Closed Highway is impassable (or has been closed for operational reasons or weather).
Report Not Available Unable to report

Secondary Conditions

Conditions Definition
Pavement Frost Buildup of frost that reduces braking power of vehicles.
Slush A buildup of slush on the driving surface as a result of moderate or heavy snow fall when pavement temperatures are at or near the freezing point creating driving conditions that may cause an unsuspecting driver to lose control of a vehicle.
Ice The driving surface is partly covered or covered with ice.
Loose Snow Less than 8 cm of loose snow partly covers or covers the driving surface that may cause some driving difficulties.
Heavy Snow More than 8 cm of loose snow partly covers or covers the driving surface. Traffic encounters problems when meeting or passing.
Snow Packed The driving surface is partly covered or covered with packed snow.
Snow Drifts Snow drifts exist on the driving surface at intermittent intervals.
Swirling Snow A condition created by traffic in loose snow that reduces visibility.
Drifting Snow Ground drifting caused by winds which may affect surface conditions on the highway, such as sticking snow or may reduce visibility.
Fog Reported only when visibility is reduced.

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