A freezing rain warning led to a slick drive for Edmonton commuters Thursday.
Environment Canada issued the warning just after 5 a.m. for the city, along with several surrounding areas stretching from the Spruce Grove area east to the Saskatchewan border.
The warnings were dropped by Thursday afternoon.
Roads, highways, walkways and parking lots quickly became icy and slippery.
Several crashes were already reported around the city as of 6:30 a.m.
The Edmonton Police Service said between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., there were 123 collisions reported to police in Edmonton. Of those, 107 involved property damage, 12 were hit-and-run collisions and four involved injuries.
In a news release issued around 8:40 a.m., RCMP advised drivers to avoid Edmonton area highways because the freezing rain led to extremely treacherous driving conditions.
RCMP were dealing with multiple collisions on Highway 16 east of Edmonton in Strathcona County, as well as west of the city in Parkland County.
They were also on scene of multiple collisions north of Edmonton in Sturgeon County, including along Highway 44.
“RCMP advise if travel is absolutely necessary, motorists should use extreme caution and check 511 regularly for road updates.”
Slippery sidewalks can be treacherous for pedestrians trying to make their way around on foot.
Alberta Health Services says each year, thousands of people are sent to hospital due to bad slips and falls due to slippery sidewalks.
AHS encouraged people to “walk like a penguin” when the sidewalks are slippery by widening their stance, using their arms for balance and shuffling along line a penguin.
The rain is expected to change to snow later Thursday, Environment Canada said.
This is the third freezing rain warning the Alberta Capital region has had to deal with the last several weeks.
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