Weekend snowstorm brings southern Alberta to a standstill

Near High River, Sunday, March 3, 2013 around 5:00 pm
Image from 511.alberta.ca

Heavy snowfall and high winds forced the closure of multiple southern Alberta highways on the weekend.



Environment Canada  issued a snowfall warning for Pincher Creek and other parts of southern Alberta on Saturday morning, March 2, with 10 to 25 centimetres of snowfall expected.  It was a confirmation of their earlier warning that the storm was coming.

Affected highways included Highway 2 from Nanton to Cardston, Highway 3 from Brocket to Lethbridge, Highway 23 from Barons to Highway 3, Highway 1 from junction highway 9 to junction highway 24 due to a multi vehicle collision.


Highway 93 from Jasper to Saskatchewan Crossing was closed due to heavy snow until at least Monday (today) at 5 pm.

Multiple travelers were stranded in Claresholm when the Highways there became impassible, according to the Claresholm Local Press.

Several citizens from Pincher Creek area were stranded in Calgary for an extra day yesterday at the conclusion of the Calgary Home and Garden Show after hosting booths there to promote tourism and attract skilled workers to our region.

The official warning ended for Calgary at about 4:30 pm Sunday.

The Pincher Creek area was buffeted with high winds at the beginning of the storm, which also forced the cancellation of an Atom 2 Chinooks playoff game at Pincher Creek's Memorial Community Centre Arena.