Spring Snow Slams Southern Alberta, 300+ Crashes

0:00It's April 6, you're listening to Canada News today, AI-powered local news. Southern Alberta got slammed with spring snow and freezing rain over the Easter weekend, turning roads into a nightmare for drivers. Calgary police dealt with 163 crashes, including 22 injury collisions from midnight to noon on Easter Sunday. Then early Monday, from midnight to 8 a.m., they handled 67 more with three injuries. Two big wrecks stood out. A vehicle tumbled off the overpass at crowd-child trail Northwest in 16 Avenue Monday morning, flipping onto its roof below, that sent two folks to the hospital with serious injuries and shut down the trail both ways for hours during rush hour. Meanwhile, a four-car smash at 85 Street and 144 Avenue Northwest injured five people non-fatally and closed that avenue. Temporarily between 85 Street and Sarcy Trail, freezing drizzle and fog advisories made everything slick and visibility low them Monday morning.

1:02A senior driving instructor with the Alberta Motor Association stressed driving to the conditions, not assuming you're invincible. He said step back, accommodate other drivers, and cooperate to keep everyone safe on the road. Turns out, this snow shouldn't shock anyone. Calgary's weather specialist explained late winter into early spring, like March and April, brings the most snow around 17 to over 20, centimeters each month. That's from cold enough temps mixed with more moisture in the air, unlike drier January and February. More snows on tap for Tuesday with another storm rolling through, but it'll clear out late that day. Expect temps to bounce back to the mid to high teens by Friday and Saturday in Calgary, so hang tight and ease off the gas when it gets dicey.