Calgary snowfall makes for slick driving conditions; snowfall warning remains active

The latest blast of winter in Calgary has turned the city into a winter wonderland, but city crews have spent the day clearing roads.

Calgary commuters were met with a slow drive to work on Thursday as snow-covered and slick roads hindered the flow of traffic.

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Calgary police said 178 crashes were reported between midnight and 4 p.m., including 22 with injuries and 28 hit-and-run non-injury collisions -- and one hit-and-run injury collision.

Snowfall warning issued for Calgary

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has issued a snowfall warning for Calgary, saying 10 to 20 cm is expected.

“A band of heavy snow has stalled in southwestern Alberta, from Canmore to Calgary to Strathmore and areas just southeast of there,” the national weather agency said.

The heaviest snow should last until about noon, then the snow will slowly taper off throughout the afternoon

ECCC warned travel will be challenging.

“Roads and walkways will be difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic. Visibility will be reduced at times.”

Calgary snow clearing operations

Calgary clears snow-covered roads using a Priority Snow Plan.

Crews spend the first 18 hours after snow stops falling tackling Priority 1 routes, including roads with more than 20,000 vehicles per day, like Crowchild Trail, as well as downtown cycle tracks.

Deerfoot Trail and Stoney Trail are maintained by the provincial government.

Crews then focus on Priority 2 routes — roads that carry more than 5,000 vehicles a day — like Kensington Road and Acadia Drive, as well as designated emergency routes around hospitals and fire stations, bus routes and roads with on-street bike lanes. This is done from 18 hours after snowfall ends to 36 hours.

After that, crews turn to clearing Priority 3 routes, which include school and playground zones.

Though the city does not typically clear snow from residential streets, crews will level ruts in them as needed.

Push for mandated winter tires

While winter tires can feel like an unnecessary cost, one Calgary mechanic believes they can save drivers more money in the long run.

Brad Cole, service manager of Leader Auto Service, says while it’s tempting to keep one set of tires on all year round, that convenience can come with a larger cost.

“Accidents are very expensive,” he said.

Cole insists winter tires give drivers a clear advantage over all-weather tires when temperatures drop and the roads become icy.

“Winter tires are always going to be better than all weather tires,” he said. “It’s like trying to have a Swiss Army knife do the same job, or something very specific.”

While provinces like Quebec and British Columbia have varying degrees of winter tire mandates, Alberta only strongly recommends them in the colder months.