Snow, wind gusts to create dangerous road conditions this 'unseasonably cold' Easter weekend

Drivers venturing out on Calgary and southern Alberta roads will want to take it slow this long weekend.

Environment Canada has put out a special weather statement for much of the region, warning of gusty, northerly winds and a fresh dump of snow.

The agency cautioned that up to 10 centimetres of snow were expected for Calgary and up to 20 centimetres insurrounding areas, and winds gusting around 50 km/h making for "an unseasonably cold Easter long weekend."

On Friday night, temperatures are predicted to drop to 18 C, and hover between 11 C and 6 C over the weekend.

"It seems like Mother Nature's not quite done with giving us a taste of winter just yet," said RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters.

Peters said conditions on rural roads were very icy overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, and likely won't improve heading into the weekend.

On Thursday morning, Highway 2 was closed for several hours after a series of crashes, involving up to five semi trucks.

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A driver on Highway 36, north of Red Deer River, took to Twitter to caution drivers that the icy road had been covered in blowing snow.

And on Thursday evening, Calgary police shut down northbound Macleod Tr. at Canyon Meadows Dr. due to an injury collision.

The patient was transported to hospital with serious injuries, police said.

Snow is expected to taper off Friday evening for areas north of Red Deer, and on Saturday morning for southern Alberta.

"It's looking like we're going to get quite a bit of snow. Not just here in the south, but in other parts of the province as well. Any time we have that increased traffic that comes on the long weekend, along with Mother Nature playing havoc with the snow and ice, it can cause some problems for travellers," Peterssaid.

He shared some advice for anyone heading out on the roads: "Take your time. Arrive alive. Make sure that you're not driving distracted and giving yourself plenty of time to get to your destination."

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