Breezy fall to shift to freezing cold in Calgary’s first snowfall Monday

Calgary’s warm weather has made the fall season a breeze, but a rude awakening awaits as the city expects its first snowfall on Monday, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

Meteorologists say snow is set to develop over west-central Alberta and will move toward the east and south come Monday.

In Calgary, snowfall between five and 10 centimetres is expected to arrive on Monday and end by Tuesday evening. Higher amounts are possible along the eastern slopes of the Rockies and in the mountain parks.

ECCC says there is a 30 per cent chance of flurries in the morning. The snow is expected to begin late morning and there’s a risk of freezing drizzle as well, according to ECCC.

Temperatures will drop and remain steady near 0 C, before dipping to around -8 C in the evening.

CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss explains that daytime highs for the coming week could be freezing due to an arctic slump coming in on Sunday.

“It’s not one of those events where we see one or two days of cold air and then we’re back up to at least seasonal conditions, we could be into that well below seasonal air for a week or more starting on Monday, where daytime highs are hovering around freezing,” he explained.

“More importantly, the arctic front is so close to the area with the easterly wind, and lots of low cloud. We could see on/off snow throughout the week.”

Meanwhile, the City of Calgary says it has been preparing to keep the streets clear amid the expected snowfall.

Read More: Calgary’s snow-clearing crews gearing up for winter with a budget of $31 million

Speaking to media on Thursday, Chris Hewitt, manager of mobility maintenance with the city, says snow on city roads will be cleared based upon the highest priority. Eighteen hours after the snow stops falling, priority one roads, like Crowchild Trail, Stoney Trail and Glenmore Trail, will be cleared.

After 36 hours, priority two roads around communities with major roads and bus routes will be cleaned.

“We have a $54 million budget this year for our snow ice control,” Hewitt explained. “One thing to keep in mind with that — that runs from January to December, so first half of that year, January to May of 2023, we spent about $23 million. We’re looking good budget-wise, we got somewhere in the $31 million range left for the rest of this year.”

In the meantime, the city wants to remind Calgarians to dress appropriately for the weather, and to start “winterizing” vehicles in advance.

“If you’re walking or wheeling, be sure to dress in layers and wear proper footwear to help manage areas where ice could be present,” a statement from the city reads.

The ECCC says snowfall amounts and duration will vary across Alberta because of warm ground temperatures in some regions.

-With files from Henna Saeed and Todd Kaufman