Calgary drivers faced a slippery commute Tuesday morning after the city, along with much of southern Alberta, was hit by a heavy overnight snowfall.
Southern parts of Calgary received more than 30 centimeters of snow, according to Environment Canada, and lower totals were observed in the north.
“Snow will decrease from north to south today,” the agency said on its website.
Calgary Transit tweeted Tuesday morning that CTrains were running about 10 minutes behind schedule because of snow and that some buses may have to bypass stops amidst large hills because of slippery conditions.
As of 8:30 a.m., more than 30 routes were on diversion due to snow.
Both the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District said their school buses are not running but schools are open.
Environment Canada said drivers should be prepared for dynamic road conditions.
“Visibility can be suddenly restricted at times during heavy snowfall. Surfaces such as highways, streets, sidewalks, and parking lots can be difficult to drive on due to snow accumulation. Take frequent breaks and avoid exertion when clearing snow,” the agency said.
Per Calgary’s priority snowmaking schedule, the city will plow first on its busiest roads, including the Crowchild Trail, Glenmore Trail and Memorial Drive.
Lighter holiday traffic on Monday helped the city gain a head start on Priority 1 routes, said Tara Norton-Merrin of the City of Calgary.
“Our crews are out on these main roads clearing the snow and laying down material to aid in traction and melting. But you know they’ll be stuck in the same traffic as everyone else. So you know to be aware of that if you’re heading out this morning…give yourself extra time, drive to the conditions and if you see our crews on the roads give them space to work” , she said.
As of Tuesday morning, Environment Canada had issued snowfall warnings for several other locations in southern Alberta, from Hinton to Crowsnest Pass and east to Cypress Hills.
While the snowstorm was expected to end on Tuesday, Calgary is expecting a brief cold snap that will see the temperature drop to -19C on Tuesday afternoon. The wind chill will make it feel like -28, Environment Canada said.
Wednesday and Thursday highs are expected to be in the mid-20s.
