Meteorologists warn Alberta travel could be tricky, up to 30 cm of snow forecast
Global News
A large swath of southern Alberta is under a snowfall warning, with up to 30 centimetres of snow forecast to fall in some areas before the snow tapers off by Saturday morning.
“Be prepared for quickly changing and deteriorating road conditions.”
That’s the warning from Environment and Climate Change Canada with a large swath of southern Alberta under a “yellow” snowfall warning, which means hazardous weather could cause localized, short-term damage or disruptions across the region.
Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor said snow started falling in Calgary around 8 p.m. on Thursday and by around noon on Friday, about 6 cm had fallen at the Calgary International Airport, with more outside the city.
“Communities off to the northwest, probably about 12 cm — and some of the heaviest amounts have been out in the Ghost Lake area towards Canmore, just north of there. Water Valley stretching out to the Ghost Lake area, upwards of 20 cm.”
The snow is expected to continue off and on overnight. By the time it tapers off Saturday morning, some areas, such as the Icefields Parkway north of Lake Louise, could get 30 cm of snow or more, prompting the national weather service to warn drivers to be prepared for “challenging” driving conditions and reduced visibility.
The snowfall warnings stretch from the Jasper area in the north to Medicine Hat and the Cypress Hills area, including the city of Calgary, where there could be up to 20 cm of snow on the ground by the time the storm moves out of the area.
Both Edmonton and Lethbridge, which sit just outside the area covered by the heavy snowfall warning, are forecast to see significantly less.
The slick roads have also prompted Calgary Transit to activate its “snow detours,” meaning some bus routes have been modified to avoid the worst trouble spots, where buses could get stuck.
