Snow, freezing rain hitting much of Canada causing crashes, road closures

Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips has an update on snow and ice storms across the country.

Old Man Winter has proven to be a resilient cuss, slamming through parts of Canada with a wallop of heavy snow and freezing rain while turning roads – and a restaurant -- into a smash-up derby.

“March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion,” Bavie Sara, a 66-year-old retiree, said Friday, delivering a reverse twist on the age-old weather adage while navigating snowy streets in Edmonton.

“We’re surrounded by lions.”

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Mounties in Alberta reported they responded to 147 crashes and urged drivers to keep their mirrors clear of snow and their lights on when driving. Police have not reported any fatalities.

Cars travelling on Whitemud Drive, a key east-west artery in Edmonton, were bumper-to-bumper in both directions Thursday night after several collisions brought traffic to a standstill.

It took police 12 hours to clear it up.

Edmonton police also reported a pickup truck swerved in snowy conditions to avoid a crash and ended up piling into the front entrance of a Boston Pizza restaurant. There were no injuries and no charges were laid.

RCMP recommended staying off the roads due to “extremely poor” conditions.

The blizzard conditions, known as an “Alberta Clipper,” are a harsh reminder that winter isn’t ready to quit, even more than a week after the official start to spring.

Only a light dusting landed in Calgary on Friday morning, a minor nuisance for public golf course workers prepping the greens for the spring.

“The weather doesn’t look terrific, but it is Calgary -- that can change within the next hour,” said John Faber, the city’s golf lead. The city is still going ahead with opening the first public course next week, he said.

In Manitoba, several rural schools were shuttered and some highways closed due to the sudden dump of snow.

While other schools went ahead with classes, buses were cancelled because of the treacherous road conditions. Heavy snowfall made visibility near zero at certain points in the day.

In Saskatchewan, an army of graders and snowplows were clearing streets of snowdrifts while residents were warned to be wary of icy bridge decks.

Danielle Desjardins, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said Fort San, a village northeast of Regina, saw the largest accumulation with 20 centimetres of snow.

Saskatoon and surrounding area were also heavily blanketed, she said.

Desjardins added the agency issued freezing drizzle advisories Friday for much of the province.

“March can be quite snowy, especially during the shoulder seasons,” she said. “The atmosphere can tap into a lot more moisture, so we do tend to see these clipper systems produce heavier snowfall.”

RCMP said they had received 80 traffic reports in Saskatchewan, including 28 vehicle crashes since Thursday.

In southern Ontario, including the Greater Toronto Area, residents were warned of potentially dangerous freezing rain that could bring slippery surfaces, broken tree branches and power outages.

The frozen showers were expected to begin late-evening Friday and last through the weekend.

Ontario police advised against unnecessary travel in the coming days.

— with files from Fakiha Baig in Edmonton, Jeremy Simes in Regina and Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.