Calgarians awoke to a sure sign that spring's not quite here yet, and one weather expert says there's more winter weather on the way.

Morning traffic slowed to a crawl as the city was blanketed under fresh snow Wednesday. The slippery roads contributed to 52 accidents, five of which involved injuries, between midnight and 10 a.m., police said.

Police say 52 accidents occurred in Calgary between midnight and 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. (CBC)

"It's almost a psychological downer, the fact that you'd been kind of tricked into thinking spring was here," said Environment Canada meteorologist David Phillips.

The wishful thinking was likely encouraged by the 12 days in February that saw melting temperatures, sometimes reaching as high as 16 C, he said.

"But it's been seven days in a row with snow. You haven't seen that all winter," Phillips told CBC Calgary News at 6.

While the city hasn't been dumped on, the daily sprinkling of fresh powder has been brought on by Siberian air sweeping in from the North, he explained.

"Of course, with that cold air, dense like molasses, filling all the nooks and crannies, any kind of weather systems that came in from the Pacific will of course produce snow," Phillips explained.

Keep your shovel handy

Last spring was Calgary's warmest in roughly 70 years, Phillips said, but Phillips expects this March to be cooler than normal.

"I wouldn't put away the snow shovel. I wouldn't take off the snow tires," he cautioned.

Calgarians woke up to a fresh blanket of snow Wednesday, which snarled morning commutes and contributed to 52 accidents, 5 of which involved injuries, between midnight and 10 a.m. (CBC)

On average, after March 1, Calgary gets approximately 54 cm of snow, which accounts for 42 per cent of the city's annual snowfall, Phillips said.

"You want spring to be here. You want to go from slush to sweat, but hey ... we know that there's still some winter left in the air."

Calgary's 7-day plan

Wednesday morning's snow-covered commute triggered day one of the city's snow-clearing plan, which involves salting, plowing and paving roads in order of priority.

The first stage target major thoroughfares that see volumes of more than 20,000 vehicles per day, such as Macleod Trail and Crowchild Trail.

On day two, the city will turn to smaller traffic routes, including Kensington Road, bus routes and roadways with marked, on-street bike lanes.

The city then works its way through residential blocks, school and playground zones. If at any point fresh snow falls again, the city reverts back to day one to clear Priority 1 routes.

Roads with designated bike lanes, along with designated emergency routes, are considered Priority 2 routes in the city's seven-day snow-clearing plan. (CBC)

With files from CBC Calgary News at 6