Snowfall warning lifted, but winter conditions continue into weekend

City warns drivers to exercise caution, be mindful of slippery road conditions

A snowfall warning has been lifted for Calgary, but the wintry weather isn’t over quite yet.

Slick roads and lighter snowfall are expected to persist into the first half of the weekend, according to Environment Canada.

After Thursday’s dump, snowfall tapered off Friday morning, but meteorologist Justin Shelley said Calgary will remain in an “unsettled pattern” for the next couple of days.

“We’re expecting some more precipitation to move into the Calgary region,” said Shelley on Friday. “But, really, we’re expecting the next push of precipitation to come (Saturday) morning, and then again in the evening and overnight period of Saturday.”

Sunday could see some light snow as well, but the heaviest snowfall this weekend is expected to end Saturday. Monday will be the big shift, with drier, sunnier and warmer conditions expected.

Shelley said some areas of the city received 10 centimetres of snow Thursday, while others saw upwards of 20. While the precipitation is welcome amid continued drought conditions in Calgary, it likely won’t move the needle much.

“We’re looking at precipitation to start April that will put us on a pace likely to exceed the normal amount of precipitation for the month,” said Shelley. “While this is a decent shot of precipitation — every little bit certainly helps — we’re still in a bit of a precipitation deficit.”

The City of Calgary had crews out plowing and sanding key roads, but conditions remained slick and several collisions were reported throughout the day Friday.

“Our crews are out there and they’re focused on our busiest routes,” said Deborah Tetley, a spokeswoman with the city’s mobility department. “We’re still in the middle of an active snow event. We’re reminding people to plan their commute, drive slowly, look out for each other and really just drive to the winter conditions that we’re experiencing today.”

Winter driving conditions are expected to persist through Saturday. Tetley said Calgarians can visit calgary.ca/snow to check road conditions and the status and location of snow plows.