UPDATE: For the latest conditions on Friday, please visit this post.
Parts of central and northern Alberta were expected to receive more than 15 to 25 centimetres of snow by Friday morning, prompting Environment Canada to issue a snowfall warning just before noon Thursday. Several regions of central Alberta, including Edmonton, are under the warning.
Anywhere between 10 and 15 centimetres of snow is expected in the Edmonton area, according to Environment Canada.
Want to know if there are snow plows in your area? Alberta Transportation has a live map showing the location of all provincial snow-clearing and roadway maintenance vehicles.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m., the RCMP said the eastbound lanes of Highway 16 near Ranfurly, Alta., were closed after a crash involving a semi-truck left the truck blocking traffic. Nobody was injured in the collision and traffic was being re-routed at Township Road 512.
“RCMP are recommending that eastbound traffic exit at Highway 631 west of Vegreville to avoid the collision scene,” police said in a news release. “Eastbound traffic is expected to be affected for the next several hours.
“Visibility and driving conditions are currently poor in the area.”
At about 11:15 p.m., the RCMP said the eastbound lanes of Highway 16 near Ranfurly had been reopened, however, visibility and driving conditions remained poor.
Shortly before 4 p.m. on Thursday, the RCMP said eastbound Highway 16 was closed just east of Edson because of a number of crashes between Range Road 164 and Range Road 162. Police said the closure would remain in place indefinitely and warned drivers that road conditions and visibility “are very poor” as a result of snowfall. At about 5:30 p.m., officials said the highway had been fully reopened.
Environment Canada said a low-pressure system developed in southern Alberta Thursday morning, spreading snow across portions of central and northern Alberta. The snow was expected to taper off for northwestern Alberta on Friday morning. Areas of central and eastern Alberta are expected to see snow through the day Friday.
Over the next 24 hours, the low was expected to intensify with the heaviest snowfall accumulations expected across central and northern Alberta late Thursday afternoon into the overnight, including in Edmonton.
READ MORE: What to pack in your Emergency Roadside Kit
Environment Canada said it’s likely some regions in central and northern Alberta will receive upwards of 20 centimetres of snow by Friday.
READ MORE: Photo highlights drastic difference in Edmonton snowfall in 2011 versus 2018
One of the best ways to track locally hazardous driving conditions is from local viewer reports. The #yegtraffic hashtag is often used by Twitter users reporting traffic issues within Edmonton.
If safe to do so, share your weather photos with us via the Global Edmonton Facebook and Twitter accounts. You can also post updates from your community using the hashtags#yegwx and #abstorm.
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-With files from Phil Heidenreich