Various law enforcement agencies warned drivers of thick fog on Saturday as officers responded to collisions in the Capital Region as well as in east, central and northern Alberta.
A fog advisory was issued for a number of areas in east and central Alberta Saturday morning, including Edmonton.
Environment Canada issued the advisory at 7:30 a.m. but said the “widespread dense fog” was expected to improve later in the day.
The weather agency warned drivers to be cautious as “near-zero visibility” conditions were possible in some areas. Drivers were asked to slow down, watch for tail lights in front of them and to be prepared to stop at any given time.
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As of 2:45 p.m., the following areas were under a fog advisory:
- Bonnyville – St. Paul – Cold Lake – Lac La Biche
- Brooks – Strathmore – Vulcan
- City of Edmonton – St. Albert – Sherwood Park
- Drumheller – Three Hills
- Fort Saskatchewan – Vegreville – Redwater – Smoky Lake
- Hanna – Coronation – Oyen
- Leduc – Camrose – Wetaskiwin – Tofield
- Lloydminster – Wainwright – Vermilion – Provost
- Medicine Hat – Bow Island – Suffield
- Red Deer – Ponoka – Innisfail – Stettler
- Spruce Grove – Morinville – Mayerthorpe – Evansburg
- Westlock – Barrhead – Athabasca
Just after 10:30 a.m., the Edmonton Police Service issued a news release that said Anthony Henday Drive between 66 Street and 82 Street had been shut down as they investigated a four-vehicle collision involving a semi-truck. While police did not say what caused the crash, in the same release they urged drivers to be cautious because of the foggy conditions.
Moments later, police said Edmonton’s ring road was also being closed in both directions between Manning Freeway to 97 Street to allow emergency crews to get to several “serious collisions” on the road. Shortly after 12 p.m., police said the eastbound lanes of the ring road had been reopened between Manning and 97 Street. They did not say if any of the ring road crashes resulted in injuries.
Shortly before 10:30 a.m., Leduc RCMP urged drivers to avoid Highway 2A at Township Road 490 as officers investigated a “serious motor collision.” Mounties said emergency crews were called to the scene at about 9:45 a.m. They said it’s believed a westbound pickup truck went through a stop sign on Township Road 490 and collided with an SUV that was headed north on the highway. The driver of the pickup truck was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries while the occupants of the SUV were treated on scene for minor injuries.
Police said alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash and that road conditions at the time were slippery while a dense fog in the area “severely limited visibility.”
In northern Alberta, RCMP said traffic was being re-routed at Highway 63 and and Highway 55 because of a multi-vehicle collision. The crash occurred about 15 kilometres north of Boyle at around 10 a.m. Mounties said they believe a semi-truck was hit by a van as it was crossing Highway 55. They said two separate trucks also collided at the scene and that another collision occurred closeby involving another van and three semi-trucks.
Police said traffic was being re-routed on the west side of the initial crash to Amber Valley Road and were asking drivers to avoid the area. While police continued to investigate what caused the crashes, they said thick fog was being reported in the area and were pleading with drivers to slow down.
Police did not say if there were any injuries.
The weather conditions were also impacting air travel throughout the day. Shortly before noon, the Edmonton International Airport tweeted some flights were experiencing delays because of the fog.
At about 4 p.m., dozens of flights departing from and arriving at Edmonton International Airport had either been delayed or cancelled, according to the EIA website.
According to Environment Canada, fog advisories are issued when near zero visibilities in fog are expected or occurring.
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