Snow causes multi-vehicle pileups

A sudden spring snowstorm in the Calgary area Thursday shut down Highway 2 from the city limits to Red Deer due to zero visibility and numerous vehicles crashes.

About 54 vehicles were involved in a crash near the Olds overpass, north of Calgary, on Thursday evening, but no one was seriously hurt, said the RCMP.

A tanker truck carrying propane overturned near the Highway 72 overpass near Crossfield. No propane leaked onto the road but securing the load and transferring it to another tanker was estimated to keep the southbound lanes of Highway 2 closed until about 6 a.m. on Friday.

Motorists were being asked to stay off roads and highways on Thursday night unless travel was absolutely necessary. Traffic lights were out across Calgary, and police asked drivers to treat intersections as four-way stops.

Police responded to a multiple-vehicle crash at Highway 1 at Garden Road, while McCall Way was closed between the airport and 78th Avenue where a large power line was down. 

Transformer issues were reported at 58th Avenue and Blackfoot Trail S.E. as well as Fourth Street and McKnight Boulevard N.W. resulting in power outages in the area.

Several areas in the city experienced flickering lights and power bumps throughout the evening.

Calgary Transit said buses and C-Trains experienced delays of at least 10 to 15 minutes across the city because of the weather and traffic.

Power was also knocked out at the Calgary International Airport, which had to rely on generators, and flights were delayed.

Environment Canada issued a wind warning on Thursday because of gusts up to 90 km/h for the Calgary area. The wind and snow was forecast to taper off overnight, leading into clear skies on Friday.