Close to 200 collisions across Calgary Wednesday during winter storm

Timm Bruch reports on the dangerous conditions emergency crews are facing in southern Alberta after heavy snow and strong winds wreaked havoc across the region.

Wednesday was a tale of two different traffic stories in Calgary.

Before noon, a storm blew in, bringing gusting winds, blowing snow and icy roads that prompted the Calgary police to ask people to not drive.

Between midnight and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, there were 142 collisions across the city, police confirmed.

Of those, 96 did not result in injury, 16 involved injuries and 30 were hit-and-runs in which no one was injured.

North of Calgary

Meanwhile, north of the city, An 80-to-100-vehicle pileup closed Highway 2 between Airdrie and Calgary in both directions Wednesday.

It was thanks to the deteriorating road conditions on central Alberta highways throughout the afternoon, as the storm moved through the province.

The northbound lanes began a long reopening process around 5:30 p.m.

Alberta RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney said warming stations were set up in Airdrie and motorists involved were bussed to the centres to stay warm.

“And I know for a fact that every single member that can be is out there right now dealing with those extra calls and that serious collision,” Slaney told CTV Wednesday.

“It’s not very often we get road closures this big, and in so many areas.”

There were also highway blockades near Olds, Acme and north of Red Deer.

After 4 p.m.

From 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Calgary, around 50 collisions were reported to police.

Of those, 29 did not result in injury, 11 were hit-and-runs in which no one was injured, nine involved injuries, and one was a hit-and-run in which one person was injured.

Thursday’s forecast calls for cloudy skies, a southerly breeze up to 40 km/h and a high of -2C. There’s no snow in the forecast.

CTV Calgary has reached out to the RCMP for further updates.