Early snowfall buries Calgary
CALGARY — People in Calgary and other parts of southern Alberta are slipping and sliding through one of the heaviest early snowstorms in almost 60 years.
Roads and highways in and around the city were covered in heavy, wet snow, with more on the way.
Parts of the Calgary area reported snowfall amounts of up to 40 centimetres in a 12-hour period.
Calgary police reported 251 collisions and dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed at Calgary International Airport.
To help Calgary dig out of the mess, the City of Edmonton sent 30 snowplows to assist its neighbour.
Red Deer and Medicine Hat were also sending equipment to Calgary.
“We’re dealing with an unseasonably harsh dose of winter very early in our season,” Tom Sampson, chief of Calgary’s Emergency Operations Centre said Tuesday.
“We haven’t had this much snow [this early] since 1914 and 1957, almost 60 years ago.”
People were being urged to stay home and cautioned to stay off of roads.
The snow was expected to taper off Tuesday night and clear out of the region by today.
RCMP said the Trans-Canada Highway west of Calgary was in poor condition and drivers were being asked to avoid travel in the area if possible.
Vehicles were in the ditches and highway crews and tow trucks were trying to clear them out.
Some Calgary residents took the storm in stride.
A video posted on social media showed a cross-country skier gliding along a downtown sidewalk.
Photos released by the Calgary Zoo showed its pandas, which arrived at the zoo in May, frolicking in the frosty flakes.