Calgary under winter storm advisory

Calgarians are waking up to the results of the first snowfall of the season.

The City of Calgary is asking that drivers prepare for poor conditions by giving themselves lots of time to get where they need to be, as a winter storm advisory has been issued.

While the snow is quite obvious, it’s also icy, as the overnight snowfall meets the warmer road surfaces and melts.

Chris McGechie with the city says crews are working around the clock to respond.

“Crews right now are focused on Calgary’s busiest streets,” he explained. “Those are roads like Crowchild Trail, Glenmore Trail — they’re going to continue focusing on those roads while the snow falls.”

Watch: Calgary under snowfall warning

He says there’s lots of snow on side streets, and partly covered main roads, so drivers should be extremely cautious.

But, if you do end up in a sticky situation, the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) says it will be a 44-hour wait for a tow or winch — up from seven hours Tuesday morning — and eight hours if you lock yourself out, need a battery boost, or fuel delivery, up from seven hours.

McGechie says the city is prepared to tackle the snowfall.

“We did call in additional contracted assistance last night to help us with our clearing efforts,” he said. “We will have all hands on deck, we do run 24-hour shifts throughout the winter.”

Meteorologist Michael Kuss says the conditions will definitely last throughout the duration of the morning rush.

“It won’t just be the snow coming down this morning — and it will still be coming down at least through mid-morning — before tapering back to very light flurries and then backing off to nothing,” he explained. “But, it’s going to be the blowing snow. We have winds of 20 to 30 km/h sustained and gusts on top of that through the morning.

“Tapering winds in the afternoon as the snow starts to ease with the cold front moving down to the south.”

This comes as 122 crashes were reported in Calgary between 4 and 9 p.m. Monday, with the most serious injury reported being a broken leg.

The Alberta RCMP report responding to nearly 300 incidents across the province Monday.

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North of the city, a school bus rolled on Highway 2A near Didsbury, injuring five students and one adult, and mounties in Blackfalds were called to a fatal crash on Highway 2 near Township Road 400.

Kuss says while Calgarians may be crossing their fingers for warmer weather, it’s likely winter is here to stay.

“We’ve seen a fairly widespread 10 to 15 centimetres already come down and on the ground this morning,” he explained. “The winds have picked up and the temperatures have dropped off, wind chills’ pushing -20 C, blowing snow through the morning, an additional five — in pockets, 10 centimetres before all is said and done, and that should take place by late morning before things back right off. Cloud cover looks like it’s going to hang around most of the day.”

Police are advising people to avoid travel due to icy roads and blowing snow and, if possible, to make sure your vehicle is winter-ready with the right tires and to pack an emergency kit.