A business sign on Highway 27 in Sundre announcing “spring's coming” was no consolation March 6 for those digging out of the first significant one-day snowfalls of the winter.
Environment Canada issued two snowfall warnings for the Sundre area Monday, March 5, forecasting five to 10 centimetres of snowfall that day with another 10 centimetres predicted for that evening.
Surveying the snow on their driveways and sidewalks the next morning, many town residents estimated as much as a foot of snow or more had fallen.
“I don't think we've ever had this much all at once. That was a big dump,” said Leah Evanochko, a 5th Avenue NE resident for seven years.
The winter, up until last week, had been relatively mild with little snow.
“I think we're paying for it,” Evanochko said as she scooped another shovelful of snow off her driveway last Tuesday.
RCMP Traffic Units began advising motorists against travel in the Central Alberta area late Monday afternoon. Road conditions were reported to be extremely poor and slippery with little or no visibility.
RCMP advised people to stay home and only drive in emergency situations.
Several vehicles ended up in the ditch alongside area roads and highways on the evening of March 5 as low visibility and mounting snow on area roadways made driving difficult.
But there were few calls for Sundre RCMP assistance, said RCMP Sgt. Percy Leipnitz.
“When I saw it coming I thought ‘oh boy' but maybe people decided to stay off the roads,” he said.
Environment Canada's snowfall warning for the Sundre area ended at 8:43 a.m. Tuesday, March 6.
There was no shortage of vehicles stuck in roads, alleys, and driveways as people tried traversing unplowed roads within Sundre Tuesday morning.
Chinook's Edge School Division buses were cancelled Tuesday and Wednesday while the River Valley and Sundre High schools remained open. Attendance on those two days was low, according to school officials.
“We were definitely below that 25 per cent attendance on the first day,” said Sundre High School principal Jason Drent, adding more students were present last Wednesday.
River Valley School also had similar low attendance last Tuesday and Wednesday.
Environment Canada said a Pacific weather system moving into Alberta produced the heavy snow along the foothills. The band of Pacific moisture slowly dropped southward spreading snowfall into Calgary and areas further south before moving into Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Temperatures recorded at the Sundre Airport during the Monday snowfall ranged from -5 degrees at 1 p.m. to -16 degrees at 11 p.m. that night. Temperatures steadily decreased through the evening, hitting a low of -23 degrees (-27 degrees with windchill) at 3 a.m. Tuesday morning.
By 1 p.m. that day, temperatures had risen to 8 degrees, sending many a kid outside to play in the mounting snow piles.
For those who have lived in Alberta a while, the huge dump was not entirely unexpected.
“I'm not surprised; it's March,” said Ted Andriatz who was out with his wife mid-morning shovelling their driveway by hand.
Another town resident, Dana Gaudreau, said in some ways the snow was welcomed.
“We needed it,” said Gaudreau.
The Alberta government declared March 1 as the start of wildfire season so resources are in place early after the mild winter left many areas with little or no snow, and dry forest conditions.
Wildfire season usually starts on April 1.
“This year, we have a higher risk of early wildfire, and resources have been on alert in high hazard areas throughout the winter,” said Frank Oberle, Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. “We are positioning additional personnel and equipment throughout the province's forested area to respond quickly and effectively to protect people and property when wildfires are detected.”
Gaudreau also pointed out that some road bans have also been enacted. Roads like some portions of Highway 766 are restricted to reduced-axle weights due to seasonal conditions such as the spring thaw.
And as he shovelled snow from his driveway and dumped it onto his front yard, Gaudreau could muster another postive sentiment about the huge snowfall.
“It'll be good for the grass.”
