Calgary police say number of collisions mirrors falling temperatures
Posted Jan 14, 2024 10:13 am.
Calgary streets were fairly quiet Saturday as the brutal cold snap continued to pitch the city into a deep freeze.
Environment and Climate Change Canada says an extreme cold warning is still in effect for Calgary, with temperatures ranging from -35 C to -45 C and windchill going up to -50 C on Sunday.
It warns that arctic air, combined with strong winds, can lead to frostbite and hypothermia “within minutes” if people don’t take proper precautions while outdoors.
Staff Sgt. Paul Ralstin says from 5 p.m. Saturday until 5 a.m. Sunday there were 33 collisions reported. Of those, four involved injuries.
During the same 12-hour period, there were also nine reported hit-and-runs, including one where someone was injured.
Police say the relatively low number of collisions for a Saturday night suggests people either stayed out of the cold or were driving carefully given the slick road conditions.
At the same time, the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) issued a grid alert at around 3:30 p.m. due to the “extreme cold, high demand and low imports.” This was followed by a province-wide push alert by the Alberta Emergency Management Agency just after 6 p.m.
It asked Albertans to reduce their electricity use to prevent rotating outages across the province.
Read More: Alberta grid alert ends, call to action ‘tremendous’
This also comes as officers continue to investigate a deadly Friday night crash where a Jeep navigating a curve in the road slammed into a snowplow.
The incident happened about 11 p.m. along Westwinds Drive near the entrance to the Mcknight-Westwinds LRT station.
The 27-year-old man, behind the wheel, died on the scene. There were no other injuries.
