Heavy snow sweeps over northern Alberta

Freezing drizzleand poor visibility on highways slowed travellers Monday as blizzard and snowfall warnings hung over much of the province.

A snowfall warning remains in effect for Edmonton and the surrounding area, with forecasts calling for heavy snow and strong winds throughout the day.

Bob Dunford, maintenance director for the city of Edmonton, says snow removal crews have been put on double shifts and that plowing will begin when the snow starts to accumulate.

He says the city is also continuing with its residential blading, which has been making slow progress but should be done today.

• Highways closed as blizzard slams southern Alberta

The snowpack broke up with the warmer temperatures last week, and then we had a little rain on Wednesday. Did a lot of damage so we were taking more snow [that is] much heavier than we normally would, he said.

So it slows the progress down.

Alberta 511 is reporting snow-covered and partially-covered highways all over northern Alberta.

On Sunday, a 21-vehicle pile-up blocked traffic on Highway 16 for several hours near Mundare. A crash involving ten vehicles on Highway 16near Sherwood Park on Monday sent a woman to hospital with serious injuries.

Central and southern Alberta saw the worst of the storm. Highway 2 southbound was closed between Didsbury and Carstairs. Highway 1 is also closed from Calgary to Brooks.