‘Shock to the system’: Calgary’s first snow of the season is on the way

Snow is expected to put a thin blanket over Calgary for the first time this season, which may result in slippery roads.

A special weather statement from Environment Canada pins the “first significant snow of the season” hitting the Calgary area and along the Highway 2 corridor on Monday morning.

It’s likely to begin briefly as rain and change to snow, eventually producing two to four centimetres of the white fluffy stuff.

The agency advised the public to prepare for “quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions,” while noting that the combination of rain and snow may result in slippery travel conditions.

Precipitation is expected to begin around 6 a.m., give or take, said Environment Canada meteorologist Erin Staunton in a Sunday interview.

“If we do see rain, that’s when it’ll be . . . and then any snow that does fall, we’re expecting to start affecting the area a little bit later in the morning, maybe the second half of the morning,” Staunton said.

Snow is expected to continue into Monday evening, tapering off by 12 a.m. at the latest, she said.

“There is some uncertainty just as to how much sticks to the ground. It’s been pretty warm so far this fall, and the ground is still pretty warm, so some of that snow is likely (to) melt on contact,” said Staunton.

With temperatures in the weekend hovering in the mid or high teens she said, “It will be quite a shock to the system on Monday I would imagine, just compared to the weather we’ve had in the area recently.”

Temperatures are forecasted to cool in Calgary, with a low of 4 C expected Sunday. Monday is forecasted to have a high of 1 C and a low of -6 C.

To tackle snow, the City of Calgary is equipped with just over 100 snowplows, about 30 graders and 30 pieces of smaller equipment, as well as several loaders.

The city takes a phased approach to snow removal, prioritizing Calgary’s busiest roadways and pathways first. It also shares the current status as snow clearing is underway.

— With files from Hiren Mansukhani and Bill Kaufmann