A winter storm warning remained in effect in southern Manitoba Thursday morning as heavy snow and freezing rain fell on Winnipeg and most of the region.

Winnipeg could see about five centimetres of snow before the storm system moves out of the area shortly after noon, Environment Canada meteorologist Dave Carlsen said Thursday morning.

The area around Elie and Portage la Prairie, west of Winnipeg, could receive as much as 15 centimetres.

"It came in two bands," Carlsen said. "There was the first one that came through last night, and it was so-so, but then the second one, which is the one we're looking at now, that came from a bunch of thunderstorms that popped up in the Dakotas last night and it's moved along here to be in southern Manitoba, just [in time] for the morning commute."

Several school divisions in Manitoba cancelled bus service or classes due to the inclement weather.

Dozens of highways in the region were covered with snow, ice or slush Thursday morning, with poor visibility in many areas, provincial officials said.

Travel was not advised on several highways, including the Trans-Canada between highways 13 and 16, around Portage la Prairie.

Ice on power lines causes lights to flicker

The stormy weather was also blamed for power problems in and around Winnipeg on Thursday.

"Power bumps" caused by a buildup of heavy, wet snow and ice on power lines have caused lights to flicker in some areas, Manitoba Hydro spokesman Jim Peters told CBC News.

"It's primarily focused, I think … just northeast of Winnipeg," he said. "There's been a couple of [incidents] in Steinbach this morning and in Transcona, but those were local and quickly repaired."

Hydro crews are out clearing ice off the lines, Peters said. If the weather co-operates, the bumps should be smoothed out as the day progresses.

Humidity in the air also sparked a pole-top fire in Transcona this morning, Peters said. About 200 Hydro customers in the area were without power briefly until the problem was repaired.