Snowfall warning for Calgary and area keeps city crews busy

For those who haven't looked outside, there's a bunch of snow on the ground, and according to Environment Canada there's going to be more.

The agency has issueda snowfall warning for Calgary and area, with 5 to 10centimetres expected on Saturday, on top of the 15 centimetres that has already come down.

The warning covers the city, north to the area around Rocky Mountain House, east towards the areas of Drumheller and Brooks, west towards Cochrane and south as far as Claresholm and Vulcan.

Road clearing on Christmas Eve

In Calgary, city crews are busy trying to stay on top of road clearing.

"Our crews are going to be continuing to maintain all the priority one roads as well as trouble-spots throughout the day," city spokesperson Anna Melnick said. "And they're going to keep doing that as long as the snow keeps falling."

Those roads are ones with the highest traffic volumes, meaning thoroughfares like Deerfoot Trail will be top of the list, but your neighbourhood road might be snowy for some time to come.

"At any given point we can have upwards of 100 pieces of equipment working.Right now, even though it is Christmas, it's all hands on deck," said Melnick.

"Our crews are taking time away from their families to work over the holidays and make sure our roads are clear. So we really are working as hard as we can."

Those curious about road conditions can check the new city map, which shows which routes have been cleared and where plows are operating in the city.

Blowing snow, limited visibility

Environment Canada is warning travellers to be prepared for rapidly changing road conditions, saying "brisk easterly winds will generate local blowing snow over open areas and along major highways."

The weather system is expected to weaken later in the afternoon on Saturday, soconditions should improve later in the day.

"Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions,"Environment Canada warns."Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow."

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