After a long mild stretch, winter returned to Calgary Saturday night.
The flakes started flying late in the evening and continued through Sunday afternoon.
The city said it is concentrating on plowing major routes throughout the city and applying sand and salt to the streets.
“The snow doesn’t really set its watch to the 9-5, so we have crews ready to respond at anytime,” said Chris McGeachy, mobility spokesperson for the City of Calgary.
“Just give (the crews) plenty of space to work and we appreciate people’s patience.”
Between 9 p.m. Saturday when the snow started and 4 p.m. Sunday, police said there were 67 collisions, nine with minor injuries.
McGeachy is reminding people to take extra precautions on the roads and watch for trouble spots like hills, bridge surfaces and intersections.
“Be aware, leave plenty of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front, leave plenty of time to get to where you need to go. If you parked outside, make sure to brush that snow off,” he said.
Temperatures also plummeted overnight, reaching double-digits below zero in Calgary.
At noon on Sunday, the temperature was -14C with a wind chill of -23. The high for the day is -11C.
Not cold enough to stop people from lacing up and hitting the ice at Olympic Plaza.
“We’ve got the big socks on, do what we can … As a Canadian, you’re kind of used to it, you got to enjoy the cold for what it is,” said Colin Welling, who was out skating with friends.
Temperatures are expected to drop further this week.
Stuart Brideaux, Alberta Health Services (AHS) EMS public education officer, encourages people heading outside to be prepared by wearing layers, covering exposed skin and watching for signs of frostbite.
“Be your own best judge. Take more breaks than you think you need to to just warm up periodically. And again, check your fingers and toes and areas that you may not be particularly attuned to, especially inside ski boots or skates,” he said.
Brideaux also recommends people pack extra warm clothes in their car in case of an emergency.
