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Record snowfall in Calgary as winter storm sweeps over Alberta

A 72-hour snow route parking ban will begin Sunday at 10 a.m. after a massive storm swept over the province, dumping a record amount of snow on Calgary.

72-hour snow route parking ban begins at 10 a.m. Sunday

Dave Dormer · CBC News ·
A machine clears the snow from the sidewalk in front of city hall on Friday after a record amount fell on the city. More snow is forecast for Saturday. (Mike Symington/CBC)

A 72-hour snow route parking ban will begin Sunday at 10 a.m. after a massive storm swept over the province, dumping a record amount of snow on Calgary. 

This is the third parking ban the city has called in recent weeks. Affected streets are marked by a blue sign with a snowflake.

A 72-hour snow route parking ban has been called for 10 a.m Sunday. (Mario De Ciccio/CBC)

Environment Canada issued snow warnings for a large swath of the province Saturday morning, running from Edmonton in the north to the Crowsnest Pass and Pincher Creek in the southwest.

The warnings were lifted for southern Alberta later in the morning but remained in the northern part of the province. 

Kananaskis Country could be the hardest hit with 10 to 15 centimetres of snow forecast to fall throughout the day. Between two and five centimetres is expected in Calgary.

"Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations," the warning says. "If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop."

Snowfall of between two and five centimetres is expected in the Airdrie, High River, Okotoks and Brooks areas.

March is traditionally one of the snowiest months of the year, said David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada. But this storm has been particularly harsh. 

"This storm has been over three days," he said. "When you total it all up over the 40 hours we've seen snow, it snowed continuously from Thursday until now... we probably are dealing with something close 20 to 30 centimetres. That is a month's worth of snow in 40 hours."

On Friday, 13 centimetres of snow fell in Calgary, breaking the previous record for that date of 10.2 centimetres, set in 1939.

The snow caused some commuter chaos as hundreds of crashes were reported around the city and some highways were closed in the surrounding area.

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