(WATCH: While expected, Edmonton’s first blast of winter still caught many drivers by surprise. As Kendra Slugoski found out, there were hundreds of crashes this weekend.)
EDMONTON – Edmonton experienced its first significant snowfall of the season over the weekend as well as a serious drop in temperature, and neither is expected to go away any time soon.
The average high in the city will remain 10 to 13 degrees below normal until the weekend.
The high will hover between minus 11 and 13 through Friday – the average high at this time of the year is zero – with the low dipping down to minus 20 degrees Celsius.
“A persistent area of high pressure located in the Northwest Territories will continue to feed the cold Arctic air into our province for most of the week,” explained Mike Sobel, Global Edmonton Weather Specialist. “Obviously with temperatures this cold wind chills will be an issue.”
Read More: Edmonton’s cold snap impacts most vulnerable population
Early Sunday morning, a homeless man with severe frostbite to his fingers and toes had to be taken to hospital after sleeping outdoors.
Read More: 5 things to remember when driving in winter conditions
Monday marked the first morning commute in winter conditions of the season for Edmonton workers.
Some posted the experience on Twitter:
On Monday, the city said it was well prepared to deal with the weekend’s snowfall.
“On average, we had 50 to 60 pieces of snow equipment working 24 hours a day to make Edmonton roads safer,” said Bob Dunford, director of roadway maintenance.
He said there were sanding crews working around the clock, prioritizing hills, bridges, freeways and major arterial roads.
Dunford said there are currently no plans for a seasonal parking ban.
Edmontonians can keep track of conditions, blading cycles, and parking bans at edmonton.ca/winterroads.
On Saturday, Edmonton police responded to 231 collisions, seven of which involved an injury.
On Sunday, there were 94 reported property damage collisions, 23 of which were hit and runs and one involved an injury.
The temperature is expected to rise to minus five by the weekend.