Winter roars back to Calgary with possible 30 cm of snow: ECCC

Winter is on its way back to Calgary, with snow and blowing snow expected on Monday, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Snow will start falling on Monday and blow into Tuesday, leading to around 10-20 centimetres of snow by Wednesday, a special weather statement reads.

The Canadian weather service adds that snow totals will likely vary widely from place to place, though local amounts of up to 30 cm are possible.

“Blowing snow is also expected on Tuesday over open areas in central and southern Alberta, including Highways 1, 2 and 16. Visibility will likely be poor,” the ECCC said.

Meteorologist for 660 NewsRadio, Kevin Stanfield, says the snowfall is expected later Monday, with around 10-15 cm falling by Tuesday.

He adds that a large cold pool of northern air is starting to sink into the Calgary area as an Alberta clipper centred in Montana rolls across the Midwest U.S.

“Local translation: Heavy periods of snow with severely reduced visibility,” he said.

Chris McGeachy, spokesperson for the city’s road department, says crews are “ramping up” for the upcoming snowfall.

“Crews are preparing material, applying anti-icing where they’re able and just getting ready for what we anticipate to be a significant snow event,” he said.

There’s more of a focus on ice control on the roads, McGeachy said, and crews will be on the roads as soon as the storm hits.

Meanwhile, he suggests motorists “switch back to winter conditions,” and to allow extra time for travel.

The temperature is also going to drop considerably, with Wednesday’s high sitting at -19 C and the low at -23 C. Tuesday is expected to see -12 C.

Thursday is expected to see a high of -16 C, Friday -8 C, and Saturday -10 C.

With files from Andrea Montgomery