Calgary police tell motorists ‘not to drive’ during storm

Police reported more than 400 crashes and urged drivers to stay home as winter returned to the city's north end Wednesday.

Calgary police are urging motorists to stay off the roads after a blast of spring snow created treacherous driving conditions across the city Wednesday morning.

“Due to winter road conditions, we are advising motorists not to travel. Many collisions and road closures are in effect,” police said in a statement.

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The warning comes after a fresh snowfall followed a stretch of warm weather, creating icy and uneven conditions that led to multiple crashes on some of Calgary’s busiest routes.

Between midnight and 8 a.m., police reported 14 crashes across the city, including 10 non-injury collisions, two hit-and-run crashes with no injuries and two crashes involving injuries.

Major routes hit by crashes, closures

Some of the most significant issues were reported on Calgary’s ring road and busiest commuter corridors.

At Stoney Trail and Sarcee Trail, three semi-trucks were involved in a multi-vehicle collision, adding to delays in the city’s northwest.

Meanwhile, northbound Deerfoot Trail near the Country Hills Boulevard overpass was shut down after multiple crashes in icy conditions.

Police and emergency crews also blocked traffic and rerouted vehicles onto the Country Hills overpass to clear the scene.

No injuries were reported in the Deerfoot crashes, but the conditions prompted a large emergency response, including multiple fire engines.

Calgary Fire Department officials also requested a transit bus to transport stranded drivers from the crash scene to a nearby Tim Hortons, where they could wait safely for rides from family members.

City crews focus on major routes

City officials say crews have been working around the clock to respond to the snowfall, with a focus on keeping Calgary’s busiest roads passable.

“So obviously we’re seeing a bit of a Tale of Two Cities here, quite a bit of accumulation on the north end and perhaps west end of the city, whereas south and more eastward of the city, not as much,” said Chris McGeachy, a spokesperson with the City of Calgary’s mobility department.

McGeachy said crews are prioritizing high-volume routes, including major corridors like Crowchild Trail, Glenmore Trail and Memorial Drive.

“Right now our focus is on those major routes, so we have crews out there applying material, plowing through lanes as necessary on all of those roads that are snow covered,” he said.

The city follows a council-approved priority snow plan, which targets roads based on traffic volumes to keep the largest number of vehicles moving safely.

Snowfall is expected to continue into Thursday, meaning crews will remain focused on primary routes before shifting into residential areas once the snow stops.

Drivers urged to adjust for winter conditions

Despite the calendar turning to spring, officials are reminding Calgarians that winter driving conditions remain in effect.

“Unfortunately, we’re still dealing with a little bit more winter here,” McGeachy said.

He warned that fluctuating temperatures could make conditions even more dangerous in the coming days.

“We are seeing low overnight temperatures over the next couple of evenings, so that could lead to some trouble on the roads, particularly before the sun has come up or just after it’s come up,” he said.

“Be mindful that there could be ice forming and trouble spots such as bridge decks, hills and intersections.”

Drivers are being advised to leave extra time, increase following distances and accelerate and brake gradually.

“Leave plenty of time to get to where you need to go, plenty of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front and accelerate or decelerate slowly when you’re at those intersections,” McGeachy said.

Snowfall a boost for ski hill

While the storm created headaches for commuters, it’s a welcome sight for some.

At WinSport, the fresh snow is arriving just in time for the final weekend of the winter season.

“For us, this is spectacular. It’s a great way to usher in the final weekend of our winter season,” said Dale Oviatt, director of marketing and communications.

“It’s a reminder to Calgarians that winter is far from over, and ski and snowboard season is not over yet.”

Oviatt described the season as inconsistent, with fluctuating weather affecting conditions.

“We’ve had some ups and downs throughout the season with quick melting of the snow,” but hopefully this is a reminder for some that you still have a few more days to come out to the hill,” he said.

Snowfall welcome amid ongoing drought concerns

Beyond travel impacts, experts say the snowfall could play an important role in addressing ongoing dry conditions across southern Alberta.

“There’s definitely some drought conditions that are showing, particularly across southern Alberta,” said Tricia Stadnyk, a University of Calgary professor and Canada Research Chair in hydrological modelling.

She said drought severity varies across the province, with the hardest-hit areas in the south.

“It’s really along a strong south to north gradient, with the south being in most severe drought conditions right now,” Stadnyk said.

Parts of southern Alberta are seeing conditions ranging from early warning to more prolonged dryness, she added, noting that different drought “stages” reflect both short-term and long-term moisture deficits.

“Stage one is kind of, we’re putting you on warning and that there seems to be a lack of snow out there than what’s actually happening weather-wise,” she said.

“Stage two is a little bit longer term, so not just like a couple days, a week or a month of precipitation, but actually like the whole winter worth of precipitation and stage three is when we start to get into impacts on water supply.”

While recent years have seen even worse conditions, Stadnyk noted current levels are still below normal in many areas.

The latest snowfall is especially valuable because of its higher moisture content.

“The snowfall is obviously very much welcome within a system that is lacking snow,” Stadnyk said.

“This kind of snow at warmer temperatures that we see in March and in April has higher value because it’s wetter snow, so it actually has a higher water content.”

That means more of the snow will contribute directly to water supplies as it melts.

“It more immediately goes into the lakes and the rivers, which actually means less potential loss of that snowpack,” she said.

Water supply still a concern for Calgary

Despite the benefits, Stadnyk warned that water supply remains a concern in key areas, including for Calgary’s drinking water system.

“What I do want to point out is the Elbow River,” she said.

“The City of Calgary, for their drinking water supply, is 100 per cent reliant on the Elbow River, and we just don’t have the water in the Elbow River.”

She said current flow levels remain below what’s needed to meet the city’s daily demand, making conservation efforts critical.

“We’re around 3.1 cubic meters per second in the Elbow River at Sarcee Trail right now, but we actually need about 5.8 cubic meters per second in order to meet that requirement for the City of Calgary,” Stadnyk said.

The shortfall, she added, makes conservation efforts critical as the city continues to rely on the river for its daily water supply.

“Right now, water conservation is super important,” she said.