Winter storm watch issued for Calgary, southern Alberta

A winter storm watch has been issued for Calgary and southern Alberta, as the region braces for as much as 25 centimetres of snow this weekend.

Environment Canada issued the watch around 3:20 p.m. Friday, cautioning people to be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions and take safety precautions if necessary.

Just to the north, Rocky Mountain House and Red Deer are under snowfall warnings.

A low-pressure system is expected to sweep through the province starting on Friday.

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The agency said on Saturday afternoon, showers will develop over southern Alberta with the possibility ofthunderstormsand funnel clouds appearingover the Brooks to Medicine Hat region.

The rain will change to snow in the early evening, with 15 to 25 centimetres near Coronation. Cypress Hills might see more than 30 centimetres. And, strong easterly to northeasterly winds are expected to create blizzard-like conditions overnight.

In the west, snow and winds gusting up to 90-km/h along the Highway 2 corridor are expected to create brief whiteout conditions in late afternoon.

And over Kananaskis, snow might accumulate as much as 20 centimetres on Saturday, tapering off by Sunday morning.

Calgarians should expect to see 10 to 15 centimetres of snow over the weekend.

Environment Canada suggested people avoid travel if possible, as visibility might be reduced by the heavy snow.

An up to date list of public weather alerts is available on the agency's website.