Blizzard conditions made travel on southern Alberta roads a test of nerves Monday as high winds and bitter cold temperatures forced pedestrians to cover up and move quickly.

Environment Canada says the storm is expected to gradually taper off, starting in the north, at some point Monday evening but not before dropping as much as 30 cm of snow in some areas.

Blowing snow made visibility Monday afternoon commute difficult for drivers and public transit.

Calgary Transit warned customers to dress warm as most of their routes were delayed between 15-30 minutes throughout the evening, while others were rerouted because they couldn't access parts of their routes. CTrain service was also affected with switch problems briefly cutting off access to Somerset Station.

Outside Calgary, Highway 1 was closed from the city limits to Highway 36 near Brooks shortly before 6 p.m.



Strathmore officials set up an emergency shelter for stranded motorists. Local fire crews rescued people from their vehicles parked on the highway and transported them to the Strathmore Civic Centre, said Linda Nelson, deputy director of emergency management for the town.

Motorists stuck in their vehicles had few options as local hotels were all booked, Nelson said. Roughly 50 people had arrived at the civic centre by 10:15 p.m., with more expected.

“We’re putting them up for the night, feeding them and making them as comfortable as possible,” she said.

By late Monday, Highway 2 between Airdrie and Red Deer was deemed "impassible" by RCMP and Alberta Sheriffs, although they were not shutting down the major route between Calgary and Edmonton. Motorists were warned that emergency services may be unable to respond if they became stranded and they should be prepared to stay in their vehicles until road conditions improve.

The Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District said their schools in the city would remain open Tuesday. Both school boards have cancelled yellow bus service, although the CBE said it might bus students home in the afternoon. Parents are urged to check myschoolbusmonitor.ca for updates on school busing.

The board said parents should make their own decisions about sending their children to classes in the morning.

Decisions about Catholic school closures and busing in Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere would be made Tuesday by the Rocky View School Division.

International Airport said on Twitter that crews were ”out in full force working to keep things running well at the airport,” but several flights from Air Canada and WestJet had been cancelled.

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Much of southern Alberta is under a blizzard warning with Environment Canada forecasting 15 to 30 centimetres of snow to fall and winds gusting between 50 and 80 km/h. The snowfall is expected to taper off from the north during the day on Tuesday.

Environment Canada said an intense winter storm began in the northwest province on Saturday and swept through much of the province.

Blowing snow and strong winds have reduced visibility along major highways. Highway 1 was closed in both directions Monday east of Calgary to Brooks.

The weather agency says the worst conditions are expected from Red Deer through Strathmore, and south toward Lethbridge.

“The strong northerly winds also signal the arrival of a very cold Arctic air mass which will remain entrenched over the province for the remainder of the week,” Environment Canada said in its warning.

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