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A storm blasting Alberta on Wednesday became so severe by early afternoon that RCMP issued an advisory against travel on all roads and highways in the province.
“Please stay home and understand that if you are involved in a collision, it will be a while before emergency crews get to you,” RCMP said.
“If you must travel, dress for the weather, put your headlights on, give lots of space, adjust your speed and give emergency crews room to work.”
Calgary police said there had been 192 crashes reported between midnight and 10 p.m. on Wednesday. Of those, 25 involved injuries, 41 were hit-and-runs with no injuries and one was a hit-and-run with injury.
Police said drivers should avoid Country Hills Boulevard in northeast Calgary as of shortly after 4 p.m., and that they would attempt to shut down traffic on that road between Barlow Trail and 36th Street N.E.
The city joins most of Alberta under extreme weather advisories Wednesday, with officials warning of hazardous conditions on roads as the province experiences an early blast of winter.
Flights were suspended for a few hours at the Calgary airport due to heavy snow and reduced visibility. As of 3 p.m. that suspension had been lifted. An airport spokesperson said 68 flights were cancelled.
The Calgary Board of Education warned of significant delays with yellow school buses as well as Calgary Transit. All after-school extracurricular activities and high school athletics were cancelled Wednesday, the school authority said.
The heavy, blowing snow created whiteout conditions, leading to multiple collisions north and south of Calgary as well.
In the morning, officials closed Highway 2 between Calgary and Airdrie in both directions due to a traffic pileup involving 80 to 100 vehicles that was reported between the two cities, according to RCMP. The lanes were reopened Wednesday night.
A warming centre was set up in Airdrie’s Inspire library, with buses transporting stranded people to it.
Video posted on social media shows dozens of vehicles caught on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway between Airdrie, Alta., and Calgary on Wednesday, after multiple collisions occurred in blizzard-like conditions.
Conditions were also dangerous on roads in the Okotoks area, Mounties warned.
At about 2:30 p.m., the province sent out an emergency alert, saying severe weather conditions “are making safe travel impossible” in much of south central Alberta, including Chestermere, Drumheller, Mountain View County and Kneehill County.
You can check the latest road conditions on the 511 Alberta website.
In the southwestern part of the province, Environment Canada issued an orange-level wind warning.
Damaging winds were expected in Lethbridge, the Crowsnest Pass, Cardston and Coutts.
“Westerly winds gusting up to 130 km/h are likely along the Highway 3 corridor between Lethbridge and the B.C. border late this morning and this afternoon,” the weather agency said. “Utility outages are likely. Driving conditions will likely be very difficult. High-sided vehicles could be overturned by the wind.”
Lethbridge police responded to a multi-vehicle collision in the westbound lanes of Highway 3 near the bridge deck. People were asked to avoid the area.
Parts of Ontario and eastern Canada are getting hit with an unfriendly weather system known as an Alberta clipper. They travel fast and often pack a lot of moisture and wind and headaches for those stuck in one. CBC Radio’s Calgary Eyeopener host Loren McGinnis spoke with weather specialist Kyle Brittain about what exactly an Alberta clipper is, and where it gets its name.
Prairie Rose School Division in southeastern Alberta sent some rural buses home early Wednesday afternoon, according to a notice sent to parents. The notice said classes were dismissed at several schools outside urban Medicine Hat.
Foremost School suffered a power outage, and parents and guardians were asked to pick up students as school buses were cancelled.
To the west, the Icefields Parkway in the Rockies was closed from Valley of the Five Lakes, near Jasper, to Lake Louise.
An Alberta clipper is bringing a huge dump of snow to the Prairies and portions of northern Ontario, followed by a blast of frigid Arctic air.
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