Dez Loreen
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Oct 28/05) - Harsh winds and blowing snow blanketed the Beaufort-Delta last week, knocking out services, closing schools and effectively shutting down entire communities.

In Inuvik, the snow hit hard and fast.

By Thursday morning, an estimated 10 centimetres of snow had fallen on the town.

Jeremy Hansen struggles through the fresh snow as it comes down hard Thursday morning. The snow started falling on Tuesday afternoon. Inuvik was among the first of the communities to be hit by the blizzard, but by Friday morning, many Beaufort-Delta and Sahtu communities were completely socked in by severe winter weather. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

Both schools in Inuvik were closed due to blowing snow.

Roads were blocked off, cars were buried in snow banks and even walking through the drifts was challenging.

Curt Dixon of Environment Canada said blizzard conditions are normal for this time of year, as the North is in a state of transition.

According to Dixon, the Beuafort-Delta and Sahtu communities get cold fronts from the northeast and warm winds from the south, resulting in heavy precipitation.

"Once the weather gets a little colder, the snow will let up," said Dixon.

The strong winds and heavy snow disrupted phone service in parts of the North.

Anne Kennedy of NorthwesTel reported a loss of long distance and Internet services in Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope.

The cause of the disruption was damage to a microwave site in the Mackenzie Valley.

According to Kennedy, reports of a misaligned satellite dish came in on Thursday night.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that a dish had been pushed out of alignment and damaged by snow and ice, said Kennedy.

"Our technicians have arrived at the site and are fixing the problem," said Kennedy.

"The disruption shouldn't last long."

High winds rolled into Tuktoyaktuk on Tuesday, worsening the situation there.

Mangilaluk school principal Allan Pitcher said the school was still open, but there was no saying whether or not the students would show up.

"For some of the younger kids, I don't see them being let out of the house," said Pitcher. "Then again, I don't see some of the older students trying to walk here either."

Dixon said October is usually the busiest month for snowfall.

In the last thirty years, studies have shown that approximately 35 cm of snow falls in the Inuvik region during the month of October.

This year October surpassed the average, with a recorded snowfall of 39 cm, as of Friday, Oct. 28, most of it falling in the last two weeks.

"This year is above average for falling snow," said Dixon.

For other communities in the region, the worst may be still to come.

In Holman, principal Harold Reardon said the snow isn't falling yet, but the winds have been increasing, which could be a sign of impending storms.

"We have some snow drift patches, but nothing serious yet," said Reardon. "If these harsh winds are any sign of things to come, the snow could pile up."

People in the communities have been keeping a watchful eye on the forecasts and getting themselves and their property ready for the worst.

"I read some forecasts that predicted horrible blizzards," said Reardon. "But the winds aren't that high yet."

Back in Tuktoyaktuk, Pitcher said the school may close down until the blizzard dies down.

Overall, people were accepting the severe weather simply as part of life in the North.

"I like it, it just means I can pull out the ski-doos quicker," said Inuvik's Matt Dufresne.

"It might be bad for the schools, but the people who go out ski-dooing love it."