A major dump of snow caused school bus cancellations and slippery roads on Tuesday morning but the rest of the week will improve as daytime temperatures rise well above zero, according to Environment Canada.
While the snow tapered off on Tuesday afternoon in Central Alberta, a high pressure ridge with rolling clouds from a northwest system was set to move in Tuesday evening, said Pearce.
Overnight temperatures will hover around -15C, climbing to -8C by morning. Expect temperatures of 3C this afternoon, thanks to a strong southwest wind, followed by a mild range of highs from 4C to 9C for the next five days.
The heavy snowfall didn’t set any Red Deer records. The record for March 5 was set in 1958 when the city saw 27.4 cm fall.
From Monday evening to about noon on Tuesday, a total of 20 cm of snow had fallen at Red Deer Regional Airport, said Greg Pearce, forecaster at Environment Canada.
The Alberta Motor Association issued a highway alert on Tuesday morning for Red Deer, Ponoka, Stettler, and Innisfail.
Three to four semi-trucks were pulled from the ditches along Hwy 2 around Ponoka, said Cpl. Jerry Court of Ponoka RCMP. Lanes were restricted but the highway remained open.
Earlier Tuesday morning, a truck was blocking a lane on Hwy 2 by Didsbury and multiple cars were in the ditch, but no other problems were reported, said Const. Steve Molnar of the Innisfail Integrated Traffic Unit.
Roads that were slick and partially snow-covered on Tuesday morning were wet by the afternoon.
All Red Deer Catholic rural buses — covering the Bowden, Blackfalds, Caroline, Didsbury, Innisfail, Olds, Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House and Sylvan Lake areas — were cancelled on Tuesday. Buses were also cancelled for Wild Rose, Chinook’s Edge, Wolf Creek and Clearview school divisions. Gateway Christian School buses were cancelled in Red Deer. All city and rural schools remained open.
Graders and plow trucks were on Red Deer roads at 1 a.m. Tuesday, said Jennifer Thoma of the City of Red Deer.
rfrancoeur@www.reddeeradvocate.com