SPRING IS NEAR, RIGHT?
Calgary drivers were faced with more treacherous conditions Thursday with the arrival of the latest heavy dump of snow on the city. And, sadly, more is on the way.
It’s halfway through March and it’s still snowing.
About six centimetres fell Thursday by 8 p.m. at the international airport, with 10 to 15 centimetres expected in total before the storm tapers off, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang.
Another system is expected Saturday, which could dump another 10 centimetres on the ground by the end of the weekend.
“I think we’re all pretty tired of the snow,” said city roads spokesman Chris McGeachy.
“The City of Calgary has been prepared for it. We were applying anti-icing materials to the roads (Wednesday).
“Today, we do have 50 sanders, two graders out there on the roads and we also have 41 crews working on the pedestrian side of things.”
The record for largest snowfall on March 15 in Calgary is 11.4 centimetres, set in 1927.
More than 18 centimetres of snow has already fallen at the airport this month. The total monthly record for March is 70.3 centimetres, set 20 years ago.
Environment Canada said southeast Calgary saw about 11 centimetres on Thursday, while some areas in Kananaskis had up to 25 centimetres of snowfall.
Lang said areas west of Calgary were hit hardest by the latest storm. Conditions were likely worse in western parts of the city throughout the day on Thursday, with Mount Royal in the southwest getting hit with 11 centimetres by mid-afternoon.
Next week should bring some relief as warmer temperatures are expected, but that still might not be the end of winter.
“Even in the longer range, looks like more snow is coming. Just looking into the (next) 10 days, we still don’t see a big spring pattern setting up,” said Lang. “With all this snow, it’s hard on the municipalities, it’s hard on the cities’ snow-clearing budgets, people getting around accidents and all that kind of stuff. It’s the middle of March, it’s been a long winter. Let’s kind of get this over with.”
Since Jan. 1, the city has already spent close to $25 million of its annual $38-million snow and ice-control budget, which is per calendar year.
That sum doesn’t yet include the costs of clearing snow that fell during Thursday’s storm.
McGeachy said the city likely won’t know until the end of the winter season, whenever that finally comes, if it’s ahead of budget for the current year.
“We’re kind of in line with things. Obviously, we do have a reserve that we can dip into if we need to, but right now we’re on track,” he said.
“Obviously, there’s been a lot of accumulation so we are probably trending a little higher, but right now it’s not doomsday.”
Between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. there was a total of 223 collisions on Calgary roads. Only 21 of those crashes caused injury, with police saying all the injuries were minor.
The weather conditions also put a strain on EMS, which entered a red alert for 25 minutes as no ambulances were available between 9:40 and 10:05 a.m.
Vehicle collisions in the morning left EMS crews in high demand throughout Calgary, according to spokesman Adam Loria. It received 118 calls from 8 a.m. until noon, compared with an average of about 85 on a regular morning.
During the red alert, EMS received a small number of nonlife-threatening calls, all of which were attended to a short time later, said Loria. Additional staff and ambulances were brought in to meet the added need.
Recent periods of warmer temperatures resulting in melting snow and subsequent icy conditions can make driving a challenge, said McGeachy.
“I think anyone that’s been in Calgary commuting in the morning time, you realize that the melt causes ice. We are applying anti-icing agents but it’s a vicious cycle,” he said.
After three snow route parking bans already this winter, the city is not expecting to call a fourth this weekend thanks to temperatures hovering closer to 0 C this time, but McGeachy cautioned that could change depending on snow accumulation levels on roadways.
He said the anti-icing formula the city is using to keep roadways clear during this snowfall includes more salt than usual, which is more effective when temperatures are warmer.
It’s hard on the municipalities, it’s hard on the (budgets) ... It’s the middle of March, it’s been a long winter. Let’s kind of get this over with.