Highway 63 is at a standstill.
A major October snowstorm has trucks, buses and cars stuck on the highway near Fort McMurray. RCMP are warning drivers to avoid travelling in either direction while crews try to clear the road.
The storm is also getting bigger. On Saturday morning, Environment Canada doubled its forecast for the Fort McMurray area to 20 to 30 centimetres, up from 10 to 15. Another five to 10 centimetres is expected before the snow eases Saturday evening.
Not all of Alberta is getting the same storm. Calgary had wet snow for Friday’s morning commute. Canmore and the Rockies are getting their first real snow. Edmonton is dry.
How Highway 63 came to a stop
Things went downhill fast on Saturday morning.
Just after 7:15 a.m., RCMP warned that Highway 63 could be blocked for “several hours.” Northbound vehicles couldn’t get up Supertest Hill, and semis, buses and other traffic were stuck on the slope.
By 8:45 a.m., police were advising against all travel on the highway in both directions because of multiple standstills. They also asked people to avoid driving within Fort McMurray.
“Winter driving conditions, obviously, are in play here,” RCMP Const. Sandra Geiger told CBC News.
Geiger said officers are finding impassable roads and that tow trucks may not reach stranded drivers quickly. Crews are working on it, but police haven’t said when traffic will move normally again.
This is a travel advisory, not a formal road closure. But when the RCMP say don’t go, the smart move is to stay put.
What Alberta 511 shows
The trouble isn’t limited to one hill. As of about 10 a.m. Saturday, the province’s Alberta 511 map showed incidents up and down the corridor:
Supertest Hill: Semis, buses and other vehicles blocking northbound traffic.
Jackknifed semi: A jackknifed semi was blocking all lanes north of Fort McMurray.
Mariana Lake area: Vehicles near Mariana Lake, and others about 40 km north of there, had been stuck on or beside the road for at least two hours.
Snow-covered road: Highway 63 was covered in snow or ice from Bitumount to just north of Wandering River, and partly covered south of there.
Travel not recommended: Alberta 511 advised against travel from Mariana Lake to just north of the Highway 881 junction.
Highway 881 isn’t much help
Highway 881 is the only other way south out of the Fort McMurray region. Alberta 511 is advising against travel on most of it too.
That leaves anyone trying to leave Fort McMurray with nowhere good to go. Check both highways on Alberta 511 before you pick a route.
Fort McMurray is getting hammered
The numbers at Fort McMurray Airport show why driving is so dangerous right now.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, Environment Canada’s weather station recorded:
Snow and a temperature near -3°C
Visibility of just 600 metres
Northwest winds of 33 km/h, gusting to 52 km/h
A wind chill near -10
Stronger gusts and blowing snow are expected through the day. With 600 metres of visibility, a stuck semi in the left lane can appear out of nowhere.
The 20 to 30 cm figure is Environment Canada’s forecast for the whole storm. Actual totals will vary, and drifting snow will make some stretches worse than others.
Why Highway 63 matters to all of Alberta
Highway 63 is Fort McMurray’s main road to the rest of the province, and no other road can easily replace it.
Oilsands workers ride it to and from their rotations. Trucks haul freight on it every day. Families drive it to visit relatives and go shopping in Edmonton.
When it stops, so does a lot of northern Alberta’s economy. Shift changes get pushed back, deliveries are late and people trying to get home are stuck in a long line of red tail lights.
Much of the route runs through remote country, so help can take a long time to arrive.
Albertans remember April
Drivers in the north have seen this before.
In April, a spring storm shut down Highway 63 in all directions. Many motorists spent the night in their vehicles, and locals pitched in to help get them out. Afterward, Albertans demanded answers about why people were left stranded so long.
Geiger said Saturday’s situation isn’t at that level so far. With trucks stuck, the only detour also bad and tow trucks stretched thin, police want people to stay home rather than find out.
Northeastern Alberta takes the brunt
Fort McMurray isn’t the worst of it.
Environment Canada has also issued snowfall warnings for Fort McKay, Conklin and the Fort Chipewyan and Wood Buffalo National Park region. The Fort Chipewyan warning calls for 20 to 40 centimetres, the highest forecast in the province. Heavy snow is expected to continue there Saturday before easing in the evening.
Amounts will vary a lot across the northeast, especially where wind is piling snow into drifts. Check the warning for your own community rather than relying on a single number.
Calgary gets its first taste of winter
About 650 km south, Calgary got its own wake-up call.
Rain turned to wet snow around 6 a.m. Friday, right as people were heading to work. Roads turned slick, and plenty of people found out they hadn’t scraped a windshield since April.
Calgary isn’t facing anything like the storm up north, but winter isn’t done with the city yet. The forecast calls for a chance of flurries over the weekend before a short warm-up to around 5°C on Tuesday. Then it cools off again.
The bigger risk in Calgary is overnight. Wet roads freeze quickly once the sun goes down.
Canmore and the Rockies
The mountains are getting their first real snow of the season too.
Canmore and the higher elevations are looking wintry, and conditions get worse as you climb. If you’re heading to Canmore, Banff or the mountain parks, don’t assume the roads are clear just because Calgary’s are.
Edmonton dodges it
Edmonton is the lucky one this weekend.
The capital got a mix of rain and wet flakes on Friday, then nothing. Saturday is dry.
That’s worth remembering if you’re driving north. Leaving Edmonton on bare pavement tells you nothing about what’s waiting past Wandering River, where Highway 63 turns into snow and ice.
What’s next
Environment Canada expects the snow around Fort McMurray to taper off Saturday evening. Temperatures will drop to around -8°C overnight.
Sunday should bring clearing skies and a high near -1°C. Monday could briefly warm to 4°C, but more snow is possible Tuesday and Wednesday.
The snow stopping doesn’t mean the roads are back to normal. Packed snow, drifts and ice can hang around for days, especially on the remote stretches of 63.
Calgary and Edmonton aren’t expected to see anything like this from the current system. Both will stay on the cool side into next week.
Driving in Alberta this weekend? Do this first
Check Alberta 511 first. 511.alberta.ca has highway cameras, road conditions and incidents. Check right before you leave, not the night before.
Listen to the RCMP. If police say avoid Highway 63, don’t drive onto a highway where people are already stuck.
Check Highway 881 on its own. A detour only helps if it’s actually passable.
Fill up your tank. On a remote highway, you don’t want to sit in a standstill for hours on a quarter tank.
Pack for a long wait. Bring warm clothes, a blanket, water, snacks and a charged phone. If tow trucks are stretched, you could be there a while.
Slow down and leave room. Winter tires help, but they don’t stop you on ice.
Watch for stopped traffic. Blowing snow hides stuck trucks until you’re close.
If you’re stranded, call roadside assistance. If anyone is in danger, call 911.
How long will Highway 63 be affected?
No one knows yet.
Police warned of a delay of several hours Saturday morning. How long it actually lasts depends on the snow, the wind and how fast crews can get stuck trucks moving.
For northern Alberta drivers, the advice for now is simple: check Alberta 511, follow the RCMP and wait it out if you can.
Fort McMurray is snowed in. Calgary got a preview. Edmonton got lucky, for now.
Sources
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fort McMurray forecast and conditions: https://weather.gc.ca/en/location/index.html?coords=56.7,-111.36
Environment and Climate Change Canada, snowfall warning: https://ecalertme.weather.gc.ca/warning-latest_en.php?alert_code=SFW&alert_id=93420&m_id=458560&ualert_id=4857
Alberta 511, road conditions and cameras: https://511.alberta.ca/
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