Calgary

Calgary roads slippery after heavy overnight snowfall

Calgary roads are slippery and snowy after a winter storm moved in overnight that's expected to drop 10 to 15 centimetres before tapering off later Wednesday morning.

Snow expected to taper off Wednesday morning

Calgarians awoke to slippery driving conditions on Wednesday after a heavy overnight snowfall. A City of Calgary traffic camera at 32nd Avenue and Deerfoot Trail N.E. shows the lanes are heavily obscured by snow. (City of Calgary)

Calgary roads are slippery and snowy after a winter storm moved in overnight that's expected to drop 10 to 15 centimetres before tapering off later Wednesday morning.

Since 8 p.m. Tuesday, when the snow started falling, and 10 a.m. Wednesday, there were 58 collisions on city streets — seven of them resulting in injury, and 11 that were hit-and-run collisions, police said. 

A snowfall warning issued by Environment Canada is still in effect for Calgary. 

"Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow," the agency said.

The city says crews will be working on plowing and sanding high priority routes such as Glenmore Trail and Crowchild  Trail for up to 24 hours after the snowfall ends, as set out in city council's seven-day snow clearing plan.

"Drive safe, leave plenty of extra time for your commute, and ensure there's plenty of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you," the city said on Twitter. 

On its website, Calgary Transit said 15 bus routes were on detour because of the weather conditions.

Some hills in Calgary were slippery after the major snowfall that began Tuesday night and tapered off Wednesday morning. (CBC)

As of about 10:30 a.m., Environment Canada snowfall warnings were also still in place for:

  • Brooks, Strathmore, Vulcan.
  • Okotoks, High River, Claresholm.

"Snow will continue to fall along the Highway 1 corridor today bringing another 5 cm locally. Snow will taper off through the morning," Environment Canada said.

Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School in Okotoks is closed Wednesday because of unsafe road conditions on secondary highways, the school said in a release.