City of Calgary road crews say they are getting winter ready, as snow is forecast
for the city throughout the day on Friday.
A rain-snow mix started to fall in Calgary throughout the morning and is expected to transition to snow before noon.
“Pacific moisture hit the BC Rockies on Thursday and will stretch across southern Alberta today,” Lizée said Thursday.
“We are expecting it to start as some wet snow, a bit of a rain/snow mix, whereas south of us in southern Alberta, they’re expecting it to start as rain and not turn to snow until the afternoon.”
Snow is expected to continue to fall throughout the day, ending up with around five centimetres by the end of Friday.
“Although morning snow will melt on impact, the city could see some accumulation throughout the afternoon, especially on the west side” Lizée explained.
Cooler temperatures and wind are also expected for Calgary Friday, with highs of about 0 C through Monday.
“Colder air will sink down behind this system and settle in for the weekend and beginning of November,” Lizée said.
“Chilly weather is on the way and to stay.”
With the weather system on the way, the City of Calgary said Thursday it is also watching the forecast closely.
“Our crews are busy preparing equipment, materials and planning their routes as they prepare to tackle the snowfall,” read a city news release Thursday morning.
City crews will work 24/7 through the winter as needed, per the city’s 7-Day Snow Plan.
“Our crews work very hard to make roads, sidewalks and pathways safe, and this can be a very difficult job when the snow is flying. Help our crews do their job safely by keeping your distance when you see plows out on the roadway,” the city said.
City crews encourage drivers to do their part by winterizing their vehicles, including topping up windshield washer fluid, keeping a snow brush in their vehicle and allowing extra time to get where they need to go.
Residents can keep an eye on snow-clearing activity on the city’s website.
The city also keeps people up to date through its transportation Twitter account. Information on public transit updates can be found on the city’s website of on the Calgary Transit Twitter account.
Snowfall warnings for mountain parks
While there were no snowfall watches or warnings in place for Calgary on Thursday morning, the same can’t be said about areas to the west.
Snowfall warnings were in place for the Banff National Park, Kananaskis and Canmore regions, with 10 to 25 cm of snow in the forecast. Snow is expected to start in these regions on Thursday afternoon and continue through Saturday.
“The heaviest precipitation and worst conditions can be expected late Thursday night and into Friday morning,” read the warning issued by Environment Canada.
More snow can be expected in areas of higher elevation.
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