The snow has began falling in southern Alberta and travelers are being told they should prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the city of Calgary, while mountain areas of southwestern Alberta are under a heavy snowfall warning.
“Calgary can expect 2 to 4 cm of snow this afternoon and another 2 to 4 cm this evening,” said Tiffany Lizee, Global’s chief meteorologist for Calgary.
Temperatures in the city are expected to be around -2 C during the day and dip to -6 C overnight on Monday.
While snow started falling in Calgary around noon on Monday, it was already starting to accumulate on the ground in some communities outside the city, such as Airdrie and Banff.
“Once you get into the foothills and into the mountains they have had quite a bit of snow accumulating, so winter driving conditions are in place,” Lizee said.
While below freezing temperatures may make some roads slippery, in Calgary a lot of the snow is expected to melt when it hits the ground, Lizee said.
“Despite the fact that we are below freezing right now, it was very warm over the weekend with temperatures in the high teens. So, the ground is very warm and melting that snow.”
Temperatures in Calgary are expected to rebound to around +7 C on Tuesday.
“Any lingering snow that we do have in the city will melt away quite quickly,” Lizee said.
In Lethbridge, the snow started falling mid-afternoon on Monday, but wasn’t yet sticking to the ground.
The forecast for Lethbridge calls for more snow overnight with the temperature dropping to -8 C before the skies clear Monday morning.
Travelers through Calgary airport are also being warned of possible delays.
In its daily travel outlook, Air Canada is warning some of its flights may be impacted by snow and reduced visibility.
Those headed to the airport can check the status of their flights by logging on to yyc.com.
Information on the latest road conditions is available at 511alberta.ca.