Candace Derksen

Officers with the Pembina Valley RCMP, along with Headingley Traffic Services, have stepped up enforcement on Highways 3 and 14 lately. Those roads have seen commercial and regular traffic increase since becoming part of a detour after Highway 75 was closed off south of Morris due to dike closures.

The Municipality of Montcalm continues to brace for the arrival of the Red River crest, expected next week.

"The overland flooding is always ongoing. There's more flooded roads every day it seems," said Reeve Paul Gilmore. "We encourage residents and anyone else to stay away from those roads because you don't know what's under there."

As of Wednesday morning, 72 residents had been evacuated from their homes in the municipality, and Gilmore expects that number will increase as the crest nears.

The province's Transportation and Infrastructure minister Doyle Piwniuk is issuing a word of caution to those with travel plans starting this evening and into the Easter weekend as a major spring blizzard remains poised to wallop southern and central Manitoba.

Highway closures are expected, visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow and surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery.

Piwniuk encourages Manitobans to stay home.

Provincial officials are keeping an eye on where exactly this week's Colorado Low will track.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the western Red River Valley could see 80-centimetres of snow with this system.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure minister, Doyle Piwniuk, says this amount of moisture at this point in the spring season is concerning.