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Alberta Road Conditions: Slow-Going After Massive Weekend Storm

Snow = Slow

As people across southern Alberta begin to dig out from a massive 25-centimetre dump of snow, motorists faced a slow-moving morning commute.

Heavy snow combined with strong winds in much of the area wreaked havoc on the highways, especially on Sunday.

RCMP declared a state of emergency Sunday evening and advised drivers to stay off the roads, or to pull into the nearest town and sit tight.

Story continues after the slideshow

Southern Alberta Snow Storm - March 3, 2012

Many highways south of Calgary were closed Sunday, including portions of Highway 1, 2 and 3, according to the province’s 511 road reports service.

Highway 2 reopened to drivers late Sunday night, but officials warn it may still be very slippery. Strathmore RCMP have also re-opened the TransCanada Highway between Highway 24 and Highway 797 following a multi-vehicle crash.

According to the Calgary Herald, Calgary police responded to more than 155 non-injury crashes and 14 injury collisions on city roads by late Sunday evening.

Despite the wallop of white stuff, the city has yet to declare a snow route parking ban, but says it will make 15,000 kilometres of Calgary streets a top priority for snow clearance Monday morning.

Snow and ice control spokeswoman Kelly Dyer told the Herald that all 100 pieces of the city's snow clearing fleet are on the roads, including plows, sanders and bobcats.

“We were out there before the snowfall came,” she said. “We have all our available equipment out there. Our staff is going to be out all day long to do the best we can.”

Staff at Calgary International Airport is also scrambling to get back on track today, after many flights in and out of the city were cancelled Sunday and baggage operations disrupted.

Global Calgary also reports that more than 2,500 Calgary homes lost power Sunday due to downed power lines. An additional 3,000 customers lost power in communities south and east of Calgary.

Environment Canada forecasts a few centimetres of snow for southern Alberta Monday. Monday's high is expected to hit -5 C.

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