Calgary

Highway 93 South reopens as Banff snowfall warning ends

Highway 93 South reopened late Monday morning after being closed earlier in the day as a snowfall warning was issued for Banff National Park.

Environment Canada also issues 'special weather statement' for all of southern Alberta as another storm nears

HIghway 93 South, seen at midday on Monday, after a barrier stopping southbound traffic was removed. The highway had been closed earlier in the day as Banff National Park was under a snowfall warning. (Parks Canada)

Highway 93 South reopened late Monday morning after being closed earlier in the day as a snowfall warning was issued for Banff National Park.

The warning was also lifted as the snow tapered off. As much as 10 centimetres had been expected throughout the morning in areas to the west of the Banff townsite.

The town, itself, was expected to see less snow.

"Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions," Environment Canada cautioned.

"Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations."

A barrier stops traffic from turning off of the Trans-Canada Highway onto Highway 93 South in Banff National Park around 7:30 a.m. on Monday. The highway reopened later in the day. (Parks Canada)

'Special weather statement' also issued

Environment Canada also issued a "special weather statement" for virtually all of southern Alberta, as a low-pressure system approaches from the south, bringing the potential for even more snow to an even larger swath of the province on Tuesday.

The storm is expected to move into Montana on Tuesday and, while its exact path and speed are hard to predict, meteorologists expect anywhere between 10 and 30 centimetres to fall between Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening in parts of Alberta.

"Where it probably really matters from a recreational point of view — Pincher Creek, Cardston, Kananaskis — we might see 25, maybe even 30 centimetres of snow," Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips said on Alberta at Noon.

"This isn't really too much of a shock at this time of year."