Return of early winter weather makes for slippery Calgary commute

Calgary got another early taste of winter after overnight rain turned into light snow — which gradually built up on roadways and made for a slippery morning commute — courtesy of "an active cold front that raced through much of Alberta," according to Environment Canada.

Conditions were slippery on many of the major roadways, especially in the northern and western parts of the city. Major delays were reported on the hill at Shaganappi Trail at John Laurie Boulevard northwest.

Calgary police said they responded to 190 collisions between midnight and 4 p.m. — and that 11 of them involved injuries and 28 of were hit and runs.

The Environment Canada forecast said the temperature in Calgary would drop slowly through the day to about –6 C as the snowfall intensified. The cold front also brought northerly wind gusts up to 50 km/hr.

In its snowfall warning for Calgary, Environment Canada said the city could get about 10 centimetres by the time the snow tapers off Tuesday night.

By 10:30 a.m. the agency said five centimetres had fallen in Calgary.

"As of Tuesday morning the cold front is located over southern Alberta and moving eastward into Saskatchewan," Environment Canada said on its website.

The province said highways west of Calgary are partly covered with snow and that visibility is poor.

The snowfall warnings extend all through southwestern Alberta. The Foothills and the mountain parks could get up to 25 cm by the time the snow ends Tuesday evening.

Lake Louise had already seen 13.5 cm by late Tuesday morning, and 19 cm fell in Nordegg.

"Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions," Environment Canada said.

"Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow."

Calgary Transit says several bus routes are behind schedule, and routes 7, 8, 30, and 69 are on detour until further notice because of the snowfall.

The Calgary International Airport said the weather could impact flights on Tuesday. "Please check with your airlines on flight times and leave extra time to get to the airport. Safe travels," the airport said on its website.