Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 04/00) - About 24 centimetres of snow swept over Yellowknife earlier this week, catching the city off guard.

"I've lived here for 22 years and I haven't seen snow this early, this much before," said Garry Craig, director of public works in Yellowknife. "We weren't anticipating it."

Early snowfalls Sept. 5, 1964: 6.6 centimetres Oct. 3, 1967: 7.1 centimetres Sept. 16, 1972: 4.6 centimetres Sept. 24, 1974: 7.6 centimetres Oct. 5, 1979: 7.9 centimetres Sept. 26, 1983: 3.0 centimetres Sept. 29, 1980: 4.8 centimetres Sept. 25, 1985: 4.4 centimetres Sept. 19, 1989: 4.0 centimetres Sept. 29, 1997: 5.0 centimetres

Sanders were sprinkling the snow-covered roads Sunday when the first flakes blanketed the city. The department expected the weather to let up by Monday but it didn't.

Early Monday, public works had three sanders, two graders and four loaders on the streets and was trying to get another sander and grader on contract.

By that time, snow was four to six inches deep, with wind creating significant drifts.

"We don't have the resources to throw at a snowstorm like this," Craig said. "Even if we had known we would get this type of snow it wouldn't have made a difference."

RCMP said seven motor vehicle accidents were reported during the early storm. The snow created business for other services in the city, too. Taxi and towing companies were very busy.

"We've had lots of car problems and people patiently waiting for cabs this morning," J.C. Lingard, manager of City Cabs, said Monday.

"There were people everywhere waiting for up to an hour for cabs and our cars were getting stuck so we were sending other drivers to help them."

Age Automotive put its 24-hour towing service to use when the snow first started pouring in. From Sunday to Monday morning the company pulled 10 to 15 stranded motorists out of slippery sections when they had lost traction.

"It's pretty busy," driver Garth Eggenberger explained Monday morning. "It's mostly just deep snow and it's also warm so no one is getting any traction."

As well, planes were delayed at the airport. Monday morning the delays were mostly on eastbound traffic.

Ferry service at Fort Providence came to a halt Monday because of 40-kilometre-per-hour winds that gusted to 55 kilometres-per-hour from the northwest.

"The heavy winds blowing caused a tidal effect," explained marine services spokesman Les Shaw. "The water was low enough we were hitting the bottom."

The ferry resumed service Tuesday morning transporting restricted loads, averaging one large truck per crossing.

Forecasts called for warmer weather today.