Winnipeg officials say they are ready to deal with a winter storm.

A winter weather system was due to hit Manitoba Friday evening, delivering a dump of snow as well as fierce winds and cold.

Ken Boyd, from Winnipeg's Public Works Department, said crews will be working around the clock to deal with the storm.

He said when the snow starts, the city will send out sand and salt spreaders as the first response. After that, plows will be deployed.

"Once the snow starts accumulating on the streets and is laying there, we will be implementing a truck plow [response]", Boyd said. "As many as 50 or 60 truck plows and an equal number of loaders to support them."

Boyd said around 100 employees are ready to work during the storm.

"We have crews available 24 hours around the clock to address the event," he said. "Our equipment is ready to go. We have our material, our sand and salt bins are filled and supplied and ready to go. We feel we're ready to fight this storm."

Despite that, city officials were also advising users of public services to be patient.

"Disruptions to all regular and Handi-Transit service are possible in the event of heavy snowfall," the city said in a news release Friday. The city will provide information on any delays through the 311 service centre, as well as using social media, including Twitter @transitalerts.

Residents were also being asked to move their garbage carts off the street or backlane when snow plows are out, adding that for people whose collection day is Monday, they should not put carts out the night before. The city wants roads to be open for snow clearing efforts.

Meanwhile, ski hill operators were delighted with the forecast.

It has already been snowing at Assessippi, where the resort turned on its snow-making machines.

"Our tentative opening date [is] December 7th," Roz Pulo said Friday. "That means we've got to get all the runs covered and groomed, shaped. We like to have at least a two-foot base, so this is kind of perfect timing really. We're excited."

The arrival of snow will help the resort, Pulo added.

"It's always a struggle to get enough snow on the runs by the time we want to open in December so when Mother Nature is working with us and we've got our snow guns going at the same time, we're going to have an excellent mix of snow this year," Pulo said.