The inevitable has happened.
The city’s first snowfall of the season has arrived, albeit much earlier than most Edmontonians would have preferred.
A thick blanket of the white stuff fell Friday night. The snow and sleet soon turned into a thick sheet of ice, causing traffic snarl-ups across northern Alberta.
And the low pressure system to blame for all the white stuff is going to stick around for the remainder of the Thanksgiving weekend.
There will be periods of snow into Saturday morning, with another four centimetres expected before midnight. Then, snow will continue throughout Sunday morning, dropping another heavy dusting across Edmonton.
And although snow is hardly a rare sight in Alberta Octobers, the internet was quick to react with a mixture of glee and horror at the early arrival of Alberta’s longest season.
Hey Edmonton…
What the…
Not cool, Mother Nature, not cool.#yegwx #yeg #snow #imnotready https://t.co/dAkJ9ZhaLe
#FridayFeeling in #yeg #snow for #Thanksgiving. Damn, haven’t put the patio furniture away yet. LOL. pic.twitter.com/Vq6Qz7EGVh
It is to early for this #snow ??? #drive safe folks! #yeg #yegwx #October # pic.twitter.com/RQQcwF9zh0
First snowman of season. How cute is he??!? #YEG 🙂 pic.twitter.com/yqVX7zsIvF
Despite Edmontonian’s overzealous reaction to Old Man Winter, the region was hardly the hardest hit.
By early Friday afternoon, the storm had walloped much of southern Alberta and the mountain regions and, within hours, the snow and high winds created havoc on the roads and highways.
Calgary police responded to 145 collisions on Friday between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., including 15 in which people were hurt. Among the most serious was a school bus roll-over southeast of Calgary, sending seven people to hospital.
Nine people were aboard the bus when it partially rolled and landed in a ditch as it travelled eastbound in Vulcan County on Highway 542, just east of Highway 24, causing numerous injuries to the driver, and children aboard.
Roads were still slick and snow-covered throughout much of the province Saturday morning, and police are urging drivers to use caution.
There is a good reason they hold @PonokaStampede in July….#snow #abweather #rodeo #yeg pic.twitter.com/fLZcvTZpyu
@MargeauxMorin First snowball fight of the year here in Stony Plain! pic.twitter.com/Ir5NleBQOI