Send this page to someone via email

As weather conditions continued to deteriorate late Friday night and into Saturday, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement regarding freezing drizzle for much of the central regions of the province. The advisory extended north of Red Deer, south of Claresholm, east of Brooks and included the City of Calgary.

The special weather statement from Environment Canada was focusing on all surfaces; city streets, highways, sidewalks as well as parking lots.

According to Environment Canada, “freezing drizzle can produce thin, hard-to-detect layers of ice.”

The statement further explained, “freezing drizzle advisories are issued when drizzle falling in sub-zero temperatures is expected to freeze on contact, and over time create icy surfaces.”

The snow began early Friday morning, creating problems throughout the day for many Calgarians ahead of the long weekend.

Story continues below advertisement

READ MORE: October snowfall slows Calgary traffic, grounds STARS Air Ambulance

Throughout the day Friday, road conditions in Calgary were not significantly compromised because of the snow, mainly because the road surfaces were still warm. However, highways were icy for much of the day contributing to a number of serious collisions.

READ MORE: 7 students taken to hospital after school bus rolled on Alberta highway

In total, Calgary received four centimetres of snow Friday and less than one millimeter of rain.

As the precipitation continued overnight while the temperature dropped below freezing in many areas, the risk of freezing drizzle increased as expected.

As of 11:30 p.m. Friday, 511 Alberta was reporting icy conditions in and around the Calgary area, especially west and north of the city.

Want your weather on the go? Download Global News’ Skytracker weather app for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Story continues below advertisement