Calgary Snowfall Warning Leaves Drivers Facing Whiteout Conditions on Highways

Drivers across Calgary face reduced visibility and difficult travel, with major routes and sidewalks likely to become hard to navigate; Saturday at 3: 00 p. m. ET Environment Canada issued a Calgary Snowfall Warning calling for heavy snow beginning Sunday morning that will intensify through the afternoon and evening.

Calgary drivers and Highways 1, 2, 3 and 22 will see the worst travel impacts

Motorists on Highways 1, 2, 3 and 22 near and south of Calgary should expect the worst conditions, with Environment Canada warning that roads, sidewalks and pathways will become difficult to navigate and visibility will be reduced at times during the heaviest snowfall.

Drivers are urged to allow extra time for travel and be prepared for sudden changes in visibility, with the storm forecast to begin as a rain-snow mix Sunday morning before shifting to heavy, steady snowfall near noon.

Environment Canada issued the Calgary Snowfall Warning with specific timing and totals

The warning, issued Saturday afternoon, calls for heavy snowfall of 10 to 20 centimetres expected to begin Sunday morning, with the storm intensifying quickly and peaking through the afternoon and evening.

Forecasts note that totals may vary widely across the city; meteorologists expect up to 10 centimetres through the daytime period and another 5 to 10 centimetres Sunday night as snow continues at times heavy, with the system expected to taper off early Monday morning.

Lethbridge chinook belt and southern Alberta gusts heighten risk of whiteouts

Sustained winds in excess of 60 km/h have been observed in the chinook belt at Lethbridge, Fort Macleod and Barnwell, and wind gusts to 80–90+ km/h — with the potential for gusts up to 100 km/h across southern Alberta early afternoon — will combine with heavy snow to produce whiteout conditions along the frontal squall.

Temperatures show a sharp gradient across the province, with Lethbridge near 12°C while parts of northern Alberta approached -25°C, and that razor-sharp cold front sagging south will be the focus for the heaviest snow and rapid temperature drops in the region.

If the frontal squall tracks through Calgary, heavier snowfall totals and whiteout conditions are expected before the system tapers off early Monday morning.