Snow causes multi-vehicle pileups

A suddenspring 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. Nopropane 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.

Motoristswere being asked to stay offroads and highways on Thursday nightunless 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 Waywas closed between the airport and 78th Avenue where a large power line wasdown.

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

Several areas in the city experienced flickering lights and power bumpsthroughout 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.

Powerwas also knocked outat the Calgary International Airport, whichhad to rely ongenerators, and flights were delayed.

Environment Canada issued a wind warning on Thursday because ofgusts 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.