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Areas in red are under a weather warning issued by Environment Canada.
Much of southern Manitoba was under a weather warning late Thursday, as temperatures plunged and blizzard-like conditions made highway driving treacherous.
CBC Meteorologist John Sauder said driving conditions across southern Manitoba were deteriorating. The Trans-Canada Highway between Winnipeg and Brandon was closed to traffic by RCMP at about 6:20 p.m. CT.
Highway 10 through Riding Mountain National Park was closed to truck traffic as nasty weather moved eastward from Saskatchewan.
At about 7:30 p.m., Manitoba Transportation advised the news media of the following highway closures:
* Highway 75 from Winnipeg to Emerson.
* Highway 59 from Winnipeg to Highway 23.
* Highway 13 from Oakville to Carman.
* Highway 20 from Winnipegosis to Camperville.
Late afternoon, visibility south of Winnipeg on Highway 75 was severely limited and there was a serious accident involving a train and vehicle near Austin, Man., between Brandon and Winnipeg.
Travelling south on 75, Kristjan Kristjansson told CBC News sometimes he couldn't see the hood of his vehicle.
" It was all clear then all of a sudden we hit a wall of snow just before Morris."
Sauder said wind gusts from 40 to 60 kilometres per hour were expected around Winnipeg after 6 p.m. CT and could create visibility issues because of the blowing snow.
"The real snow that's showing up on radar is still out to the west of us, so this is almost like a freezing mist or snow pellets, that sort of thing - but could create some very slippery highways for the time being."
Much of the province was under a warning from Environment Canada.
The wind is expected to gust up to 70 km/h by the early evening through most of southern Manitoba with about five to 10 centimetres of snow forecast. Northern Manitoba was also under a weather warning: Environment Canada called for 10-15 cm of snow overnight in that region.
But by late Thursday afternoon blowing snow was reducing visibilities to less than one kilometre on rural highways.
Blizzard conditions were expected in Red River Valley if the strongest of the winds materializes, Environment Canada said.
Conditions were expected to improve in southern Manitoba on Friday as winds gradually subside.