Meteorologists warn Alberta travel could be tricky, up to 30 cm of snow forecast

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.

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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.

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Commuters are being warned to check the Calgary Transit website, Calgarytransit.com, to find out if their bus route is affected.

“What we’re seeing on the roads right now, they’re a little wet, the majors, you’re seeing some snow buildup on the side streets. Typically with those freeze-thaw conditions, we can see the formation of ice — especially at this time of the year, when (daytime) temperatures are going to be above and below zero overnight,” said Chris McGeachie, spokesperson for the City of Calgary.

The return of the winter weather is also causing some issues at Calgary International Airport, with management warning travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport, and to leave plenty of time to catch their flight.

Around noon Friday, the arrivals and departures board was already littered with several delays and cancellations.

Anyone planning on driving west into British Columbia should also be prepared for some heavy snow.

On Thursday, 38 cm of snow fell in the Rogers Pass area, along the Trans Canada Highway, and up to 15 cm more are expected before it tapers off Friday night.

Along with the snow, temperatures across much of southern Alberta are expected to continue the up and down roller coaster that we’ve seen in recent weeks.

“I think we’re gonna see the overnight lows tonight about minus 15 in Calgary, probably minus 20 in some of the surrounding areas and even the daytime highs on Saturday about minus seven in the city,” said Proctor.

“In general terms, we’re gonna warm up as we move through the weekend. So daytime highs Saturday of minus seven, Sunday plus four, then Monday a little bit of a cool down again — so we’re sort of stuck right along the jet stream pattern — and then we warm up significantly for Tuesday up to about plus 11.”

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