Although the first day of spring is rapidly approaching, an Environment Canada meteorologist predicts that cold and snow will continue to grip Alberta for a while.
“It has been a winter with a lot more variability across the province and generally, as we move towards spring that variability in weather just increases,” Environment Canada meteorologist Kyle Fougre stated to The Calgary Eyeopener.
He anticipates that the end of winter will be over and spring will begin. The precipitation will be below normal or slightly higher.
“We will see these cooler temperatures stay around for a while.”
Red Deer and Calgary’s March is the snowiest on average. This will likely continue this year.
“As we move into spring months we expect it will be colder than usual, we’re expecting heavy snowfalls, which is kinda normal for this season. Fougre said that you can just expect more variability.
A tale of two winters
“Most of the time, your perception of winter is based on what actually happened in your area. Fougre stated that it was strange when you look at the entire province.
The province’s northern and central regions have seen more snow than usual. Cold Lake had its snowiest ever winter, and it’s been the same for most of the province.
Fougre noted that the average precipitation was much lower in the southeast parts of Alberta, Red Deer and Lethbridge.
“People in southern Alberta often think that this winter has been very dry. But that has not been the case for the central or northern parts of the province.”
Crews from the city clear high-priority roads of snow
Crews are clearing snow from the streets.
Christopher McGeachy, spokesperson for city roads, stated in an email that crews are focusing on high-traffic routes such as Memorial Drive, Crowchild Trail, and Glenmore Trail.
Extreme cold temperatures can cause icy buildup at intersections and bridge decks.
Crews will also work on other pieces of transportation infrastructure such as designated sections of path, wheelchair ramps, downtown cycles tracks and sidewalks next to city property.
