Snow causes more than 100 crashes, bus detours, delayed or cancelled flights
113 collisions on city streets by near noon Tuesday, Calgary Police Service says
A blast of winter weather caused more than a hundred crashes on Calgary roads Tuesday morning as well as forcing bus detours and delayed or cancelled flights.
Ten to 15 centimetres of snow were expected to fall on the city on Tuesday, according to a warning from Environment Canada.
The Calgary Police Service said there were 113 collisions on city streets between midnight and 11:30 a.m., including 13 that injured people and 10 hit-and-runs.
The Calgary International Airport reminded travellers to arrive early and check for any schedule changes as the snowfall has affected some flights.
The airport's website listed more than a dozen cancelled flights and many delayed flights.
Some travellers reported lengthy waits on the tarmac as planes queued for de-icing before takeoff.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CTRiders?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CTRiders</a> due to weather conditions, several routes may be delayed. Bundle up and please allow extra time for travel today. <a href="https://t.co/fLjcYFhGCj">pic.twitter.com/fLjcYFhGCj</a>
—@calgarytransitEnvironment Canada says a low pressure system swept into southwestern Alberta late Monday and tracked east early Tuesday morning.
The snow is expected to taper off by Wednesday morning.
Be sure to check current flight times at <a href="https://t.co/wjWF9sD7QY">https://t.co/wjWF9sD7QY</a> or with your airline - winter weather is impacting some flights. We apologize for the delays as we work to keep everyone safe.
—@FlyYYC"Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow," the warning read.
Calgary Transit said the following routes have been detoured because of the snowfall:
- Route 6
- Route 17.
- Route 20.
- Route 156.
- Route 299.
- Route 414.
"Our crews have out since last night laying down salt to help with the melting," said City of Calgary Roads spokesperson Chris McGeachy.
"Road salt is actually the best thing when the temperature is hovering around zero to –10."
Every piece of the city's available equipment is out on the roadways and crews will be working 24/7, focusing first on Priority 1 routes such as Memorial Drive and Crowchild Trail, McGeachy said.
The snowfall warning also covers:
- Airdrie, Cochrane, Olds and Sundre.
- Okotoks, High River and Claresholm.
- Brooks, Strathmore and Vulcan.
- Medicine Hat, Bow Island and Suffield.
A complete list of weather warnings can be viewed on Environment Canada's website.
