Just one day after record-breaking high temperatures in the Sundre area, Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for a large portion of western and southern Alberta including the Airdrie - Cochrane - Olds – Sundre area.
The advisory stretches from Edmonton to the American border.
“A significant winter storm is on the way,” reads a statement from Environment Canada.
Ten to 20 centimetres (cm) of snow is expected in the Airdrie - Cochrane - Olds – Sundre area starting Wednesday evening and continuing through Thursday, warns Environment Canada.
The weather agency issues snowfall warnings when 10 cm or more of snow falls within 12 hours or less.
- RELATED: Sundre breaks another high temperature record Tuesday
- RELATED: ROAD REPORT: Commute road conditions, Highway 2 traffic cameras
“Precipitation will begin as rain or rain mixed with snow over lower elevations, before transitioning to snow. Locally higher amounts are possible. The snow will taper off Thursday evening,” the warning said.
It added that visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow and there may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas.
“Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop.
In areas closer to the mountains, towns and cities with higher elevation could experience somewhere close to 30 centimetres of snow, according to Environment Canada.
While temperatures are not expected to drop rapidly into the negatives, that much snow could stick around for several days, causing congestion on roadways all over western and southern Alberta.
