The cold temperatures and blowing snow this week are a snap back to reality for Lethbridge residents after several days of spring-like temperatures this winter.
Tuesday saw steady snowfall and temperatures dropping to around -18 C. By Thursday evening, forecasts show the temperature dipping below -30.
These conditions come after what meteorologist Brian Proctor described as a warmer previous month.
“Really what we’re seeing, what we have seen this winter, is really kind of a high-amplitude pattern,” Proctor explained. “We’ve seen lots of cold air and then flooding in with warm air and through much of January we saw temperatures that were near or above seasonal across much of southern Alberta — much of the province, actually.”
Transportation crews have moved to 24/7 snow service in Lethbridge beginning on Monday, with around 20 full-time staff covering 12-hour shifts, with part-time and contract-worker support.
“Welcome back to winter after two weeks of beautiful Chinook weather, 10 degrees above,” said City of Lethbridge transportation manager Darwin Juell.
Phase 1 snow routes are now active, meaning vehicle owners must move their vehicles off-street in any of these designated areas. The routes cover approximately 25 kilometres of road in the city.
This system was put in place in 2022 and has been activated a handful of times.
In an effort to raise awareness and get residents familiar with the routes, the city has issued about 1,500 warnings but so far, no tickets.
“Now as of tomorrow morning, we’ll be placing tickets for those people that do not move their vehicle on the Phase 1 plowing to the right,” Juell said on Tuesday.
More information on the routes can be found on the city’s website.
Helping the vulnerable stay warm
The Lethbridge Soup Kitchen is no stranger to the snow and cold, having been through many years of southern Alberta winters.
They serve three meals a day with about 125 people at each sitting.
“One of the things that we’ve noticed is that our numbers do increase a bit (when it’s colder). People are less mobile. It’s harder to get from Point A to Point B when you’re cold,” said executive director Bill Ginther.
While the soup kitchen doesn’t currently have the capacity to serve as a warming centre, it is finding ways to keep people warm.
“We have a new policy that is being looked after by Streets Alive, that if it gets below -10 C then we actually have buses out front from 8 p.m to 8 a.m. so they have a place to warm up.”
As one of the only organizations of its kind open on the weekends, Ginther encourages residents to donate gloves and toques for clients.
The first official day of spring is March 21.