Edmontonians woke up Friday morning to a late blast of winter, thanks to a winter storm expected to bring up to 30 centimetres of snow to the capital region.
“This is a moisture-packed spring storm system for Alberta,” Global Edmonton weather specialist Margeaux Morin said. “The Edmonton International Airport picked up about seven millimetres of rain Thursday night before the snow even began. By late Friday morning, reports from across the Capital Region indicate a 7-10 cm snowfall.”
A snowfall warning was issued for Edmonton and surrounding areas Thursday afternoon by Environment Canada.
READ MORE:Â Snowfall warning in place for much of central Alberta, including EdmontonÂ
Morin said large areas of Alberta were seeing wintry weather for Good Friday and models suggest the heaviest snowfall amounts will be for Friday. The Edmonton area could see a total of 12-15 cm with melting for the day.
Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for areas west of Edmonton, Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, the warning was extended twice to include more regions of central Alberta.
As of Friday morning, the snowfall warning in effect for Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park was expected to bring a total of 20 to 30 cm of snow.
However, by 6 p.m. Friday, Edmonton was no longer part of the snowfall warning.
“A spring storm system will continue to spread significant snowfall across central Alberta today and tonight,” Environment Canada explained. “An additional 10 cm of snow is expected in western regions by the time the snow tapers off Saturday morning. Total snowfall accumulations within the warned area will be from 20 to 30 cm.”
“Much of this snow is turning slushy on area roads,” Morin said. “As of Friday morning, slick conditions were not a huge concern, but as temperatures drop late Friday into Saturday, that could definitely change.
“The low-pressure system will churn slowly over Alberta and Saskatchewan into Saturday night, dropping heavier snowfall totals for regions between Fort McMurray and Cold Lake. Western parts of Saskatchewan will also be hammered by this storm.
“In addition to the heavy wet snow, we’ll also significant winds with this spring storm system,” Morin said. “Wind gusts in northeast Alberta could reach 60-70 km/h.”
Surprisingly, the winter blast didn’t have everyone complaining. Some Edmontonians actually seemed to embrace — and even enjoy — the mid-April snow.
Hey Edmonton, it could be worse.
Areas north of the city, including Slave Lake, Peace River and Fort McMurray were under a winter storm warning, along with areas east of Edmonton, like Bonnyville and St. Paul.
Hazardous winter conditions are expected, Environment Canada said.
“A major spring storm is forecast to bring 20 to 30 cm of snow to east-central Alberta by Saturday.
“An intense low-pressure system in southern Saskatchewan will continue to spread heavy snow into the Bonnyville and Fort McMurray regions. Snowfall accumulations will total around 20 to 30 cm by the time the snow tapers off on Saturday morning. Southern sections of the Fort McMurray region are expected to see higher accumulations than Fort McMurray itself. Heavy snow combined with strong northeasterly winds will also cause reduced visibility in blowing snow at times,” the agency said.
Environment Canada suggested postponing non-essential travel in these areas until conditions improve.
Winter storm warnings are issued when multiple types of severe winter weather are expected to occur together.
READ MORE: 5 things to remember when driving in winter conditions
For the latest information on weather watches and warnings, visit Environment Canada’s website.
Want your weather on the go? Download the Global News Skytracker weather app for ISO and Android.
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