Spring snowstorm wreaks havoc on Calgary roads

Some Calgary neighbourhoods remain blanketed by snow as the city faced far more snow than what was initially predicted in Tuesday's storm.

The spring snowstorm affected the city's north end far more than communities in the south.

According to Environment Canada, 22.3 centimetres of snow fell in the city Tuesday, which caused headaches for drivers and first responders.

The snow and ice proved to be too much for a snow plow that became stuck along Airport Trail at around 7 a.m. Wednesday in the city's northeast. (image courtesy: Ethel Pittman)

The Calgary Police Service tells CTV News that between 6 a.m. Tuesday and 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, officers responded to 151 vehicle incidents.

Alberta Motor Association towing or winching service wait times are estimated to exceed 12 hours as of Wednesday morning.

Calgary Transit and school buses experienced delays due to the slick conditions.

On Tuesday evening, parts of the city were hit with so much snow that police were forced to close down Shaganappi Trail at Country Hills Boulevard in the northwest for over two-and-a-half hours due to multiple collisions and adverse weather conditions.

This storm comes as city crews had just begun to pivot to street-sweeping operations, before returning to snow and ice operations.

"This is a kind of an interesting storm because down in the south, you're not seeing as much accumulation on the roads, but in the north we are seeing a lot more of that accumulation," said Chris McGeachy, spokesperson for the City of Calgary's roads department.

 "At this time of the year, a lot of people have removed their winter tires, so we just want to remind people we have seen significant snowfall." 

Numerous power outages were also reported in parts of the city last night, which impacted hundreds of customers.

With files from CTV News’ Jordan Kanygin