Travelers in southern Alberta were forced to find alternate routes Friday after winter weather forced the closure of two secondary highways near Pincher Creek.
Highway 3 between Pincher Creek station and Fort Macleod West as well as Highway 6 between Pincher Creek and Pincher Creek station were temporarily shutdown.
An Alberta Emergency Alert was issued Friday night after strong wind and blowing snow created poor driving conditions.
In their bulletin the provincial alert cited a number of problems including, ”blowing snow is creating hazardous driving conditions. Visibility may be significantly reduced. Snow and ice buildup may cause hazardous driving conditions.”
Those alerts were dropped Saturday morning, however according to 511 Alberta winter driving conditions still remain for the southwest corner of the province.
Residents in the Pincher Creek area were tweeting about the hazardous conditions caused by the snow drifts.
One Global viewer emailed pictures showing snow drifts at their property in Brocket Saturday morning as a result of the snow and strong wind over the past couple of days.
“Drift almost covering the entrance of our home.. the only way in and out. Today we begin the big dig out to clear this safety hazard!!” Tamara Plain Eagle said.
According to Environment Canada, Brocket saw wind gusts of 94 kilometres per hour Friday. Pincher Creek recorded peak gusts of 106 kilometres per hour.
Strong west winds are expected again Saturday for southern Alberta, but as of 10 a.m. no watches or warnings had been issued.