A Massive Storm Is Burying Calgary In Snow & Causing Flight Cancellations (PHOTOS)
On Tuesday, November 19, Calgary woke up to find that winter had arrived with vengeance in the early hours of the morning. Environment Canada issued a snowfall alert for Calgary and surrounding areas at 5:28 a.m. local time, warning the public to brace for 10 to 15 cm of snow. The snow isn’t expected to taper off until Wednesday morning. The Calgary snowstorm will hugely impact driving conditions and has even resulted in some flight cancellations.
"Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions," warns Environment Canada. "Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow."
Visibility will also be compromised while the snowfall continues and drivers are advised to turn on their lights and give each other space on the road.
Drivers aren't the only commuters impacted today. A number of flights departing from the YYC Calgary International Airport have been cancelled.
"A snowfall warning is in place for Calgary. The forecasted weather may impact flights tomorrow. To be prepared, please check with your airlines on flight times and leave extra time to get to the airport. Safe travels," the airport wrote this morning in a Facebook post.
If you're travelling in any capacity, leave early and be cautious. It's treacherous out there, Calgary.
Webcam along Stony and Sarcee Trail in Calgary, roads around the city are partly to completely snow covered.… https://t.co/jxRD90Zybt— Brandon Houck (@Brandon Houck) 1574176182.0
Good Morning #Calgary! It’s a wintery wonderland! Snow continues to fall and as of 6:30 am, there’s about 5 cm of s… https://t.co/Dko7kpPJW4— Inam Jamil (@Inam Jamil) 1574171280.0
Snowfall warnings are also in effect in Airdrie, Cochrane, Olds, Sundre, Brooks, Strathmore, Vulcan, Medicine Hat, Bow Island, Suffield, Okotoks, High River, and Claresholm. Further west, the Rockies have also seen significant snowfall.
According to AMA Road Reports, the highways surrounding Calgary aren't in the best shape. Several road closures and accidents have been reported, causing congestion in many areas.
How is it possible that @WestJet is cancelling flights out of Calgary due to weather, yet every other airline seems… https://t.co/YaEixF3Xjd— Nolan Still (@Nolan Still) 1574173187.0
The City of Calgary shared a snow update on Twitter, explaining that "crews are focused on high-traffic Priority 1 routes such as Crowchild & Glenmore. We’ll continue focusing on those roads as snow continues to fall. Please be mindful in winter conditions."
Though it may not be ideal to hop on the more popular routes, they will likely be the safest and will be receiving the most attention from road crews.
Calgary Transit has also been sharing updates on cancelled or impacted routes. "Due to weather conditions, several routes may be delayed. Bundle up and please allow extra time for travel today," they wrote in a tweet this morning.
It was a wild fall for weather and it looks like winter will be more of the same. You should probably get a good lineup of podcasts downloaded for the season because commutes might be a little longer than usual.
Stay safe out there, Calgary.
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