Calgarians embrace winter blast following weeks of warm conditions

While the heavy amounts of snow that were expected overnight never came, city officials say the snow is continuing to fall in Calgary and a weather warning is still in place.

The City of Calgary says "steady snow" is expected to continue throughout the day on Sunday and crews are hard at work trying to stay ahead of the worst of it.

"During this time our crews remain focused on high volume routes, applying pickle (salt/sand) mix for traction and plowing through lanes," said Chris McGeachy, spokesperson for the City of Calgary's Roads Department in a release.

Environment Canada called a snowfall warning in Calgary and surrounding regions on Saturday, stating that 10 to 20 centimetres of snow was expected to fall.

That warning has been updated to include details about the storm that is now expected to last until Monday.

Both the agency and the City are advising drivers to take care while they are out on the road and make sure they are prepared if they need to head out.

SNOW IS NO SURPRISE

Some may be lamenting the return to cold and snow after the relatively long stretch of warmer weather, McGeachy told CTV News on Sunday.

“I think we can safely say it was a false spring we had over the last couple of weeks,” said city of Calgary spokesperson for roads, Chris McGeachy.

McGeachy says although many families are celebrating the family day weekend, crews are working 24/7.

“Over a long weekend, traffic is kind of reduced,” he said.

“But people still need to get places and our crews are focused on those high volume roads, to keep the most Calgarians moving safely.”

Despite the extra challenge the snow presents when it comes to driving, other Calgarians were out embracing the weather.

Officials say no matter what you are planning over the long weekend, it is best to make sure you know what you might experience.

"Our message to citizens is to stay prepared, ensure their vehicles are winterized, clear off any snow built up and take time to get to where they need to go," McGeachy said.

He says crews will be out plowing high volume roads like Crowchild Trail and Glenmore Trail as well as applying salt and sand to intersections, hills, cycle tracks and bridge decks.

As the temperatures drop over the next few days, McGeachy says drivers need to be careful for icy sections on roads.

Further details on the City of Calgary's snow removal plan can be found online.