UPDATE: Snow squall watch has ended for the City of Calgary, as of 4:30 a.m. on Friday, November 28th, 2014.
Get your shovels ready, and prepare to start your commute early.
Forecasters warned ‘snow squalls’ could lead to white-out conditions Friday morning in Calgary and across south-Central Alberta.
The Environment Canada Snow Squall Watch warns heavy, blowing snow is expected to hit right during the morning rush hour in urban areas.
“You can drive into one of these bursts of intense snow, they pop up very quickly, and then they’re gone,” said Paul Dunphy, the weather expert for Global News.
“They’ll take you by surprise. All of a sudden you have no visibility.”
READ MORE: Driving in whiteout conditions: Dos and Don’ts
Snow squalls are very localized, which means some neighbourhoods could see clear skies with heavy snow falling a few kilometres away.
Environment Canada issued a Snow Squall Watch for those areas because conditions are favourable for the formation of bands of snow that could produce high accumulations or near zero visibility.
Snow squalls are rare in land-locked Alberta.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a snow squall watch issued for Calgary, they’re usually near open water, like the open waters of the Great Lakes,” said Paul Dunphy, a weather specialist for Global Calgary.
In Ontario, a squall recently led to massive pileups busy highways.
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