Winter storm closes Calgary airport and highways in Alberta and Saskatchewan

awful overwinter force blasts Calgary

RCMP closes Trans-Canada Highway near Secretan Sask. After semi crash

Winter storm shuts down some Sask. Highways, brings snow, wind and freezing rain

Blizzard warning issued as snow, freezing rain hit southern Manitoba

Snowfall warning in effect for central and northern Alberta

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How to avoid white-knuckling it while driving on snow

Climate change is supercharging our winter storms

How Environment Canada’s new weather warning system works

This storm is likely to be dramatic for the amount of snow it brings, but also because of the fast temperature change. For example, Regina's forecasted high today is -1 C but will plunge to -23 C by tomorrow morning.

This animated map shows how that frigid Arctic air will swoop down and blanket the Prairies over the next two days.

A reminder that Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has issued a swath of warnings across the country. These include blizzard and wind warnings in the southern Prairies and cold warnings in the north.

ECCC recently introduced a new colour-coded warning system that Canadians are still getting used to.

John Gibson

Hi, I'm John Gibson, a web writer in Calgary. The severe storm has prompted officials to shut down the Queen Elizabeth II Highway between Calgary and Airdrie to the north. The highway is the main north-south route in the province.

The Calgary International Airport says it’s temporarily suspending all flight operations until it’s safe for aircraft to take off and land.

With blizzard conditions bringing heavy snow, extreme wind gusts and poor visibility, the airport needs to shut down all paved surfaces for snow-clearing operations.

The airport says passengers should check the status of their flight before arriving at the airport, leave extra time to make it to the airport, and anticipate delays due to runway clearing and de-icing.

It’s snowy out there! ❄️ Our operations crews are hard at work keeping runways and surfaces clear while we are experiencing low visibility conditions. Please expect delays as we keep airport operations safe. Check with your airline for the most up to date flight information (1/2) <a href="https://t.co/t2QFRGhe9t">pic.twitter.com/t2QFRGhe9t</a>

The Icefields Parkway in the Rockies is now closed from Valley of the Five Lakes, near Jasper, Alta., to Lake Louise, Alta.

It’s unclear when it will reopen, but Alberta 511 says the next update isn’t expected until tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. MT, suggesting it will probably be closed overnight.

As the storm began to whip through northern Alberta this morning, RCMP in Grande Prairie issued an advisory urging drivers to avoid travel in the region as conditions worsened across the province.

According to Environment Canada, the heaviest snowfall is expected between Highway 16 east of Edmonton and Highway 12 east of Red Deer. Local amounts of 30 cm are possible, Environment Canada cautioned.

Blizzard conditions are also likely to develop in areas nearest the Saskatchewan border, particularly between Highway 14 and Highway 9 from Wainwright to Oyen. Wind gusts to 90 km/h along with falling and blowing snow will reduce visibility to near zero.

Breaking down the Alberta clipper weather system

Brittain said today's storm is typical of Alberta clippers: fast-moving, low-pressure systems that originate near the Rockies and track east-southeastward, bringing strong winds and colder temperatures.

"That strong zone of temperature contrast really fuels these storm systems," he said.

Hi, I'm a member of the live page team. We're tracking a snowstorm covering a wide swath of the Prairies today.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued extreme weather warnings in Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan, predicting heavy snow, freezing rain, strong winds and poor visibility.

Kyle Brittain, an Alberta-based weather specialist, told my colleagues in Edmonton that a clash between Arctic and Pacific air is to blame for creating powerful winter storms like the one just hitting Alberta.

Many Canadians are bracing for a serious wallop of snow over the next several hours.

Forecasts for the next 72 hours from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) show a pronounced band of snow that stretches from the middle of the Prairies all the way to the northern tip of Labrador.

Take a look at this map to get a sense of the extent of the fast-moving Alberta clipper.

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