City roads were treacherous throughout Monday as roughly 15 centimetres of snow fell on Medicine Hat throughout the day. City crews are at work clearing major roads, and will then move to secondary roads upon completion.--NEWS PHOTO SCOTT SCHMIDT
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
With some places in southeastern Alberta seeing as many as 20 centimetres of snow, residents are warned that winter may be here to stay.
The City of Medicine Hat itself saw nearly 15 centimetres of snow, said meteorologist Alysa Pederson with Environment and Climate Change Canada. After having enjoyed an unseasonably warm autumn, current projections now suggest the region is in for a significant cool-down.
“Around -1C is what your normal daytime high is, and we’re tanking to a little bit below that for the rest of the week,” said Pederson. While there is further snow expected later in the week, it is not anticipated to be as heavy as Monday’s snowfall thanks to the low pressure system moving through the area.
The level of precipitation was more than enough to cause issues with traffic, said Staff Sgt.Darlene Garrecht with the Medicine Hat Police Service.
MHPS advised residents to avoid going out if at all possible until the roads are better cleared. Those who do need to travel are asked to reduce their speed, avoid sudden braking or sharp turns and increase following distance to allow additional stopping space.
“Just slow down, give your time, give yourself some time and extra space to get home,” said Garrecht.
As for when roads will be clear, manager of surface operations Trevor Funk with the City of Medicine Hat, said that public works employees have been on the case since 4 a.m. Monday morning.
“We were already preparing (Sunday), with getting equipment ready and, you know, pre-treating a couple of our hills early on (Monday) morning,” said Funk. “We’ve had folks in since 4 a.m. working on this. We’ve kind of gotten through the worst of the snowfall so now we have all of our equipment out getting those major roads safe.”
He added that at the time of interview, the city had seven sanders, two plow trucks and four graders out to improve road conditions. Efforts will focus on main arterial roads before moving on to bus routes and collector roads.
As the equipment will likely be at work again today, those on the roads are asked to take it slow and to give road equipment the space they need to operate safely.
“If you don’t have your winter tires on, do it now,” said Pederson. “Bring out those shovels. Put that emergency kit in the back of the car. Our long range forecast shows much below normal as we start December.”
