Change in temperature wreaks havoc on Calgary roads
Posted Mar 6, 2024 9:19 am.
While Calgary didn’t wake up to blizzard conditions, the ice on city roads is causing big issues on the morning commute.
One caller to the CityNews660 traffic centre says despite travelling on major roads, his commute has been like a parking lot.
While the forecast is starting to warm up, the ice could still be around for the next day or so.
Natalie Hassell is a meteorologist with Environment Canada who says the night temperatures should be at 0°C by Sunday, causing that ice to stay as water.
“I don’t know that you’ll have much snow left by then, considering how many warm days are in the forecast,” she explained. “But, that would be the thing to pay attention to.”
READ MORE: Warm-up on the way for Calgary this week
Commuters are still in the thick of it as of 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, and Chris McGeachy with Calgary roads says pickle mix is going down to try and beat the ice and improve traction.
“So obviously with significant swings in temperature you can see ice form on the roads,” he said. “Our crews are out applying material, but we do remind people to drive to winter conditions.
“We’re focused on our high-volume, priority one routes, so those are your roads like Crowchild Trail and Glenmore Trail.”
The wait time for a tow or winch from the Alberta Motor Association is about 12 hours.
Calgary police tell CityNews there have been nearly 50 collision between midnight and 8 a.m. — nine of which were injury collisions.
For the latest on road conditions, weather, and news, listen to CityNews660 for updates every 10 minutes on the ones.
