A blizzard struck Winnipeg and much of southern Manitoba on Monday, causing officials to close some roads and schools.

Travel was not advised on many highways due to blowing snow and whiteout conditions. Multiple vehicles went into ditches along major routes and numerous collisions were reported.

Monday evening, Winnipeg police shut down Saskatchewan Avenue between Hamilton Avenue and Buchanan Boulevard because of blowing snow and poor visibility.

Highway 1 from Winnipeg to Portage la Prairie was closed for part of Monday. Late in the afternoon, officials said eastbound lanes only on Highway 1 from Portage to Headingley had been re-opened.

One woman who called RCMP after going off a road initially couldn’t even tell officers where to look for her because of the whiteout conditions.

Until help arrives, people are advised to stay with their vehicle, said RCMP.

“Don’t go out and star wandering around in the blizzard, or go checking your tail lights or anything else, because that’s when you might get clipped by someone coming by you,” said Sgt. Wayne Blackmore of RCMP Traffic Services.

Highway 75 from Winnipeg to Emerson was also closed for part of the day. By the afternoon, officials had re-opened the highway.

CAA advised drivers to always have a winter survival kit in their vehicle, including items such as a shovel, blanket, booster cables, first aid kit, food, candles and matches.

Monday evening, many highways remained closed or travel was not being advised on them due to poor conditions, said officials. The province offered more information on highway closures and road conditions on Manitoba Highways' website: www.gov.mb.ca/roadinfo

A number of rural school divisions also closed schools on Monday, including ones in the Red River Valley, Prairie Rose and Garden Valley school divisions.

Inside Winnipeg, police advised drivers to slow down and drive to conditions. City officials say plows and sanding trucks were out on the roads. A "major snowfall parking ban" has also been issued with parking prohibited on any snow route between 12 a.m. and six a.m., said officials.

- with reports from CTV's Jon Hendricks and Stacey Ashley