Southern half of Alberta under snowfall warning expected to last rest of week

The day after Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a special weather statement saying a sharp drop in temperatures and heavy snowfall was on its way to the southern half of Alberta, that statement has ended.

Now, much of the same areas in Alberta are under a snowfall warning for an upcoming multi-day snowfall event, starting Tuesday night and lasting until Friday.

“A widespread area of 10-20 cm of snow is expected, but an axis of 15-30 cm is expected from Nordegg/Rocky Mountain House south through the Calgary area over the 3 day period,” an ECCC statement said.

The federal agency said the snowfall warning will be expanded further south as the system sweeps in that direction. As of Wednesday, Lethbridge and the communities in the furthest south reaches of the province were not under a snowfall warning.

ECCC advised people to adjust their driving to match the changing road conditions, with the possibility for quickly-changing and worsening travel conditions.

In Calgary, city snow crews were preparing for the significant snowfall of 25 centimetres by Thursday evening and up to 40 centimetres possible by Friday.

“Crews are still on their winter shifts and are ready to respond,” Chris Hewitt, Calgary’s manager of mobility maintenance said. “We are preparing equipment and materials and have called in additional crews to help us tackle this storm. We will continue to monitor the forecast and respond appropriately.”

Hewitt recommended people limit their travel if possible, and to expect delays when heading out on the snowy roads.

Calgary Transit also said it would activate its snow route detours on Wednesday. More information can be found on Calgary Transit’s website.

1:56 Cold front to drop temperatures and cause heavy snow for parts of Alberta

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