Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Large Pileup Shuts Down Trans-Canada Highway in Alberta Amid Snowy Conditions

Ron Brackett

Published: March 29, 2021
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A pileup involving 50 to 70 vehicles shut down the Trans-Canada Highway near Brooks, Alberta, Monday morning.

The westbound lanes of the highway about 125 miles east of Calgary were expected to be closed for several hours, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. As of 9:30 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time (11:30 a.m. EDT), traffic was being detoured to Highway 1A.

"Travel on area highways is not recommended at this time due to blowing snow, icy roads and poor visibility," said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The RCMP also said a reception area was set up in Brooks at the Heritage Inn for people unable to get through the area because of the weather and the road conditions.

The weather has caused several accidents along Alberta's highways. A semitrailer overturned on Highway 1 near Highway 56 east of Calgary, and another overturned on Highway 2 just north of the city, according to 511alberta. The service also warned of several jackknifed semitrailers and vehicles that had spun out.

Much of eastern Alberta is under wind, snow or winter storm warnings, according to Environment Canada. The city of Brooks and surrounding Newell County could see winds over 60 mph Monday, the agency warned.

The winds are part of a strong low-pressure system tracking through Canada that is also bringing high winds and fire danger to the U.S. Great Plains states, according to weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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