Calgary snowfall warning ends, cleanup continues

Calgary’s snowfall warning has ended after 10 to 20 or more centimetres fell Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The weather agency says snow blowing in from the Rocky Mountains led to over 30 centimetres in some mountainous areas.

Winds are still gusty, leading to visibilty issues on some roads and if you haven’t installed winter tires on your vehicle yet, driving can be dangerous.

Calgary police say 231 crashes happened between 12 a.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday. People were hurt in 13 of the crashes, while 22 of them were reported as hit-and-runs.

Callers to CityNews say the hill at 29 Street and Parkdale Boulevard near Foothills Hospital was impassable because of icy conditions Wednesday morning. One person mentioned even ambulances couldn’t get up the hill.

A representative with the City of Calgary says 29 Street is a “priority 1 route,” and that it is regularly maintained.

“These are our highest priority routes and they are routinely maintained during snowfall and first to be maintained after snowfall ends,” said City of Calgary representative Sherri Zickefose in a statement to CityNews. “Crews have been attending this road routinely during this snowfall, however additional accumulations have created some challenges with traction.”

Zickefose says the city is applying an abrasive and salt so there is traction on the road, and to reduce ice build-up. She says two service requests have come to her attention because of the icy conditions, and that the city is maintaining the road.

CityNews meteorologist Michael Kuss says the snow started Tuesday around noon, and lingered into Wednesday afternoon.

“The snowfall has been really widespread across the area, not a lot of variability — between around seven and 15 centimetres across a good chunk of the city and the surrounding area,” Kuss said. “The potential is there for at least another 10 to 15 centimetres of snow through the morning into the afternoon, tapering off — it looks like — mid to late afternoon.”

Kuss adds a bigger concern may be the wind, with gusts blowing at 50km/hr to 60km/hr creating low-visibility and drifting snow.

In next week’s forecast, Kuss says Calgary may not get temperatures above -10 C.

READ MORE:

• Get your vehicle winter ready before poor conditions hit the province: Alberta RCMP

• Calgary changing snow clearing response as winter approaches

• Calgary drivers adjust to winter conditions

  ---

Chris McGeachy, a spokesperson for the City of Calgary, says snow-clearing crews stick to a tight plan to get major routes cleared within 36 hours of snowfall.

“We still focus on roads based on a priority system, so that means we will be focusing on Calgary’s highest volume roads first — those are your roads like Crowchild Trail and Glenmore Trail,” McGeachy said.

He says as long as the temperature remains above the -12 to -10 C range, crews can use salt to de-ice roads. When it gets colder than that, then it becomes difficult to keep the streets safe to drive on.

McGeachy adds a recent investment from the city means snow clearing gets done quicker than before.

The city says there are currently no plans to implement a snow route parking ban. Parking bans typically begin 18 hours after snowfall ends, parking your vehicle on a snow route can result in a $120 ticket and a tow.

For more information visit the city’s website.

Listen live for weather updates after traffic every 10 minutes on the ones. You can also follow us on Twitter @CityNewsCalgary and @CityNews660 or subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

–With files from Logan Stein, Lisa Grant, and Bailey Nitti