Calgary weather: Blizzard conditions, snow will persist

Road conditions are expected to remain hazardous on Tuesday morning after ablizzardswept through southern Alberta.

Much of central and southern Alberta was under a blizzard warning Monday as an Arctic air mass settledover the province broughtstrong winds and heavy snow.

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The Calgaryareacould see15 to 30 centimetres of snow by Tuesday morning, according toCBC weather specialist Craig Larkins.

He said while the blizzard warning could end overnightthe temperature is expected to drop.

"We will see strong winds for the start of Tuesday combined withfresh snowfall that will continue to reduce visibility," he said, adding the wind chill could bring temperatures down to -30C.

He said the winds should diminish in the evening, but in the wake of the snow which should end sometime Tuesday afternoonslippery roads will still be a factor.

Larkins said there will be a return of sunshine for Wednesday, but the bitterly cold temperatures will stick around for the remainder of the week.

Highway closures

RCMP say 23 vehicles including four semis were involved in a multi-vehicle crashnorth of Calgary. Highway 2 southbound wasclosed between Didsbury and Carstairs near the overpass as emergency crews responded.

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Highway 1 has also been closedfrom Calgary to Brooks, Alta., as Strathmore RCMP deal with another multi-vehiclecollision.

RCMP saidthe highway may not open until Tuesdaymorning. Officials are advising against highway travel until the storm passes.

"At this time motorists are asked to find shelter in a safe location or in their vehicle," said RCMP in a release. "Be prepared to spend the night."

Emergency crews may not be able toreach all stranded motorists on the highway because of the severe weather, police said.

Linda Nelson, the deputy director of emergency management in Strathmore, said rural firefighters are out on highways rescuing dozens of stranded travellers.

They plan to convoyback to the town located west of Calgary andset up rescued travellers at the local civic centre.

Dangerous roads

Volker Stevin Contracting, which operatessnowplows and sanders, said Monday afternoonit had pulled half of its crews off highways near the Alberta communities ofGleichen, Hussar andBassano because of the winter conditions.

It's a total whiteout out there.They can't see the roads so they become a hazard to the public and a hazard to themselves," saidVolkerStevin'sJack Brown.

"For their safety, we're pulling them out of there."

The parking lot at the Road King truck stop in Calgary'ssoutheast filled up Monday as truckers took the day off.

Gary Renwick says the combination of bad weather just wasn't worth the risk.

"Icy, high winds and blowing snow like this plus I'm empty,I don't have any weight at all in my trailer," he said.

"So chances are if I get going down a hill and I have to stop and I apply my brakes, the trailer is just going to slide."

100 flights cancelled

As of 8p.m. MT, more than 100flights in and out of the city have been cancelled at Calgary International Airport.

Some of the cancellations were announced Sunday in anticipation of the blizzard.

Airlines are working to accommodate passengers because of the disruptions.WestJet has eased its restrictions today for people changing flightsin and out of Calgary, Edmonton and Grand Prairie, Alta.

Theresa Senekal, who is trying to fly home toGrandePrairie, is among those held up by the storm.

"We have a full work schedule booked for tomorrow so we have to be back in Grande Prairie, but I guess that's one of the pleasures of living in northern Alberta," she said.

Dawn Flanagan had justarrived from Cuba when she encountered the whiteout conditions.

She was waiting to take the bus to Red Deer after her ride home fell through.

"They texted me at 4:30 in the morning and I got it when I arrived saying, 'There's no way I'm coming,'" said Flanagan.

Avoid driving, if possible

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi tweeted Monday that if Calgarians had to be on the roads, they should allow extra time.

"I have to go into work today darn #yycccmeeting but if you are able to work from home, please do," he tweeted, referring toa city council meeting.

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He later told CBC News that city buses are having some trouble and that C-Trains are full.

But the mayor saidit's too early to say when a snow route parking ban will be declared.

"Right now the crews are working hard on the Priority 1 roads that are unaffected by a snow ban because there's no parking on them anyway," Nenshi said.

"Once we have a chance to clear [those], and the snow has stopped, we'll make a decision on whether or not we need to call a parking route ban for the Priority 2 roads. Given the amount of snow that Isaw out there when Icame in this morning, Ithink that it's probably a good bet that we'll need to do that, but not right away."

Meanwhile, Calgary police saidthey responded to more than 100 collisions between midnight and 3 p.m. Eight of them involved injurieswhile 102 caused property damage.

All of central, southern Alberta affected

The blizzard warning coveredall of central and southern Albertas major communities, including Red Deer, Brooks, Airdrie, Lethbridge,Medicine Hat and Drumheller.

The worst conditions are expected near and along a line from Red Deer throughStrathmoreand south towardsLethbridge, with northerly winds becoming as strong as 50 km/h gusting to 80 km/h andvisibilitiesnear zero at times, Environment Canada said.

Highway 3 atCrowsnestPass at the B.C.-Alberta boundary was closed at9 a.m. MTMonday because ofpoor driving conditions.

The community's volunteer fire department said Monday afternoon it was reopened, but officials are still advising against travel.

The City of Red Deer activated itsEmergency Operations Centre Monday afternoon because of the snowfall.

Many schools in Calgary and around the province have cancelled classes for the day.

TheCalgary Board of Education said public schools will remain openTuesdaybut morning buses have been cancelled as a result of the blizzard conditions.

Calgary'sski hillCanada Olympic Park, which is located in the city limits, isalso closed because of high winds and wind chills.The hill will remain closed through Tuesday.

The intense winter storm has been moving down from northwestern Albertasince Saturday.

Driving on Airport Trail