EDMONTON - More than 100 pieces of snow-clearing equipment took to Edmonton streets Thursday morning as a slick mixture of rain and snow left streets in treacherous condition.
Snow, at times heavy, is expected to continue falling until early Thursday afternoon and the high will top out at 3 C, reports Environment Canada. Between five and 10 centimetres is being whipped around in the city by northwest winds of 20 km/h, gusting to 40.
Areas just west of Stony Plain have received up to 20 centimetres of snow already, said Environment Canada meteorologist Dan Kulak.
"It’s probably going to be anywhere from 10 to 30 centimetres in areas around Edmonton," he said.
But on the plus side, the winter storm warning that had been issued for the Edmonton area has been downgraded to a snowfall warning.
As of 7 a.m., the City of Edmonton had 110 pieces of equipment on city streets, focused on priority routes and intersections. Fifty sanding trucks had been working overnight to lessen the hazard for drivers, and sanding and plowing will continue as conditions warrant.
City police responded to 62 crashes, mostly fender-benders, between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., police spokesman Scott Pattison said.
Once the snow stops and the sun breaks through the clouds, some of the slushy snow will melt, but forecasted sub-zero temperatures Thursday evening may mean treacherous conditions on roads and sidewalks, Kulak said.
Temperatures are expected to drop to -9 C overnight.
"It probably will freeze," Kulak said. "Whatever slush is on your driveway, it’s sure to be hard ice tomorrow morning."
But daytime highs are expected to return to normal by early next week, he added, so the ice and snow isn’t likely to be around for long.
Meanwhile, outages across the city kept Epcor crews busy Thursday morning. By 10 a.m. all major circuits were restored, but isolated outages were still possible, company spokesman Tim Le Riche said.
"We’ll deal with all of these storm-related power outages … caused by winds and heavy snow," he said.
The company also has utility crews on standby should the downed lines result in a pole fire.
Millennium Place is Sherwood Park shut its doors Thursday morning because of a snow-related power outage, a notice on the Strathcona County website says.
Transit service in Edmonton is delayed up to 30 minutes because of the road conditions and power outages, the city said in a release. "Overhanging tree branches are straining and breaking under heavy snow and falling onto many roadways in Edmonton," the release states.
The City of St. Albert was forced to suspend transit service within its limits because snow prevented buses from accessing neighbourhood roadways, a statement on the city’s website says. Commuter service from St. Albert to Edmonton is still operating with significant delays.
Canada Post says severe weather forced the cancellation of mail delivery to rural routes in Sherwood Park. Nearly 3,000 addresses will be affected. Mail delivery was also cancelled to three rural routes — more than 800 addresses — in Thorsby, southwest of Edmonton.
Mail in other Alberta areas could be delivered late as a result of strong winds and blowing snow.
"To ensure our carriers are not impeded once delivery does resume, we request that homeowners and business owners clear the snow and ice from their sidewalks, walkways and stairs so our employees can deliver mail safely," Canada Post spokesman John Caines said in a statement.
The Alberta Motor Association reported between 30 and 40 cars in the ditch between St. Albert and Morinville, north of the city.
It also says highways surrounding Edmonton are in poor condition.
