CALGARY – Wintry weather is being blamed for a series of car crashes throughout the city on Thursday.
Although it officially became spring at 10:57 a.m. MST on March 20th – snow began to fall early in the morning, leaving city streets cold and icy.
Calgary Police say there were 95 collisions reported between 6 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., four of which involved injuries.
North of Calgary, a man died after his car left the road and ended up submerged in a creek in Airdrie.
Highway conditions deteriorate
RCMP are warning that area highways are in bad shape due to snow, wind and ice.
Road reports website Alberta 511 lists the QEII Highway as partially snow-covered from Edmonton south to the Montana border, and RCMP warn that the stretch from Red Deer to Calgary is particularity bad. Multiple collisions have been reported due to limited visibility with blowing snow and icy roads.
Alberta 511 lists the Trans-Canada Highway west of the city as snow-covered from Calgary to Canmore – and in even worse shape east of the city from Calgary to Strathmore.
Around 10:30 a.m., RCMP released an advisory warning drivers to steer clear of McKnight Boulevard N.E. from city limits east to Highway 9 due to a collision near Conrich,
About an hour later, RCMP released another advisory, cautioning motorists against driving on Highway 3 between Pincher Creek and Fort McLeod, saying driving conditions were “horrendous” with visibility near zero.
Calgary’s seven day weather forecast
Meteorologist Jordan Witzel anticipates about three to six centimeters of snow will fall on Thursday, with the temperature steady near -4°C.
The snowfall should continue through the evening before eventually tapering off by Friday afternoon.
On Friday – the first full day of spring – the forecasted high is a chilly -10°C.
To get your weather forecast on the go, download our Skytracker Weather App.
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