Public works crews, including those in the Town of McLennan, were clearing local roads and streets April 22 following a harsh spring snowstorm which dumped upwards of 30 centimetres throughout the Smoky River region.

Residents in the Smoky River region were pulling out the shovels and snow blowers this past week following one of the worst spring blizzards in recent memory. “This storm system packed quite a punch,” says Dan Kulak, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada in Edmonton, referring to it as “an unusually intense system.” Not unusual because of the amount of snow that fell – anywhere from 20 to 30 centimetres depending where you live – adds Kulak, but uncommon because of the type of system and the time of year. “These types of cold, upper low systems are far more typical in the month of June, for example, as opposed to April. In fact, I can’t recall the last time we had a cold low pressure system come through the province and linger for so long.” That time frame proved to be five consecutive days from April 18 to 22 with the brunt of the snowstorm flexing its muscle over the Smoky River region April 21 and into the early morning hours the next day. Upwards of 30 cm of heavy snow blanketed the region over that period of time with higher snowfall amounts of up to 45 cm falling on areas situated along central parts of the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. “What we were dealing with was the result of a slow moving cold, upper low which originated from the northwest United States and essentially stalled over Alberta,” Kulak explains. That system turned into a meteorological winter monster after colliding with a large core of Arctic air (in the form of a high pressure system) from the north, which fuelled the storm by pumping in cold air and strong winds. The end result was cold northeasterly wind gusts of between 40 and 66 km/hr that whipped the snow into a frenzy, creating whiteout conditions and drifting snow for motorists during their commute to and from work on Monday. McLennan RCMP Sgt. Ged Dentinger says there were no reports of collisions during the height of the storm. “Drivers in the area made a concerted effort to slow down and drive according to the road conditions.” “As a result we had no reports of collisions,” Sgt. Dentinger tells the Express. That in itself, he adds, is quite remarkable, especially considering the hundreds of miles of highway located within the McLennan detachment area. “Motorists are to be commended for their commitment to safety and the safety of others while using the roadways during what proved to be extremely poor spring driving conditions,” he adds. The storm led to an unexpected day off for many students last Tuesday following the cancellation of rural bus services. Difficult driving conditions and heavy snow weren’t the only adverse affects of last week’s snowstorm. Residents also had to contend with winter-like wind chill factors and unseasonal temperatures which remained below the freezing mark for four consecutive days. Daytime highs for the most part from April 18 to 21 fell well short of the average for this time of year, ranging anywhere from -4 to -9 Celsius with overnight lows dipping to around the -14 mark. The average for this time of year is highs of around 11 C. with lows dipping to about -3 C. On a more positive note, last week’s snowfall isn’t expected to stick around for long. Kulak says the extended weather forecast for this week in the Peace County is for highs of between 4 and 7 C.