City sanders and plows were deployed to the streets of Edmonton Tuesday morning as residents woke up to fresh snow.
The City of Edmonton said about 38 sanders and five plows were sanding and clearing the roads as needed. The full fleet of equipment — about 150 pieces — doesn’t come out until after three centimetres of snow has fallen.
Between 6 a.m. and 10:35 a.m. Tuesday, Edmonton police were called to two hit-and-run collisions, one injury collision and 19 property damage collisions.
By 3:45 p.m., those numbers had jumped to 22 hit-and-run collisions, five injury collisions and 54 property damage collisions.
The City of Edmonton urged drivers to slow down and drive to the conditions.
“With the first snowfall at low temperatures, we usually see a rash of collisions,” said Laura Thue with the City of Edmonton’s Traffic Safety section. “Pavement quickly becomes extremely slippery so drivers should slow down and leave extra stopping space between vehicles.”
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READ MORE: Freezing rain, snow on the way to Edmonton as temperatures take a dive
The snow should turn to rain over the lunch hour, according to Global Edmonton meteorologist Tina Simpkin. There is a chance of showers through the evening for those heading out trick-or-treating.
The rain will once again turn to snow overnight, with about two centimetres expected. There is a chance for slick road conditions overnight and into Thursday as cold air moves in.
“Installing winter tires is a good idea, but drivers also need to make the mental shift to driving more cautiously,” Thue said on Wednesday. “Even an apparently dry winter roads may have black ice on ramps, overpasses, shady spots and bridge decks. Sand on the road also increases stopping distances.”
Watch below: Mike Sobel’s early morning weather forecast for Tuesday, Oct. 31.
Simpkin said areas like Lloydminster, Cold Lake and Fort McMurray could see upwards of five to 10 centimetres of snow.
READ MORE: What Canadians can expect for winter weather this season
Temperatures are expected to stay cold through the week, with highs of -2 C on Wednesday and -8 C on Thursday.
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