Calgary snowfall warning ends, city continuing work on priority roads

Calgary snow crews continue to work on priority roads Sunday, adding there is a small chance of flurries in the morning.

This follows a snowfall warning issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), saying 10 to 20 centimetres of snow will fall throughout Saturday and into the night.

The warning says the snowfall will taper off Sunday morning. However, it ended Saturday evening.

“Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow,” the ECCC says. “Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions.”

City of Calgary spokesperson Chris McGeachy tells CityNews they are focusing on the busiest roads, which include Crowchild Trail and Glenmore Trail.

“We’re focused on our major routes, which carry over 20,000 daily trips,” he said. “We’re going to continue focusing on those while it’s snowing, and then for up to 18 hours after snowfall.”

Our focus right now is just to clear through lanes, apply material to limit the buildup of ice, and we’ll focus on that for the next little while here.”

McGeachy says March is a high accumulation month, and as a result, the city contracts crews on retainer for “significant events.”

McGeachy says if you’re travelling towards any of those areas, you’re asked to be cautious as visibility may be low in some areas.

He also says it’s not just the snow that Calgarians should be mindful of, but also the extreme cold temperatures.

“It is going to be very cold tonight. So if you’re headed out, no matter which method you choose to head out there, if you’re in a vehicle or if you’re … walking somewhere, just make sure you’re bundled up and prepared,” he said.

“Prepare for delays and just leave plenty of time to get to where you need to go.”

He also asks Calgarians to give crews enough room to allow them to do their work.

“We thank our crews out there in the snow today and just thank anyone who needs to be out there working today,” McGeachy said.

The cold weather can result in icy conditions, even with sanding and de-icing work, so drivers should watch out for trouble spots on bridge decks, hills and some intersections.

Those walking should also be cautious, as the city warns of slippery sidewalks.

ECCC says windchill temperatures on Sunday will be around -34 C and are expected to rise to around -24 C. It also says there is a risk of frostbite.

Meanwhile, daytime highs will be in the minus double digits until Tuesday of next week. The ECCC expects it to be 3 C on Wednesday, with continually rising temperatures throughout the week.

More information on Calgary’s snow services can be found online.

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-With files from Nadia Moharib