By Hayley Ferguson

Snowfall warning

City preparing for first snowfall of season

Sep 26, 2019 | 5:18 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – The month of September has given Alberta some beautiful weather with above average temperatures.

That’s about to change this weekend.

“There’s a low-pressure system that’s going to move into the province today and then a second one that’s really developing down in Wyoming this weekend. And those two systems are going to drag a lot of cold air down from the north over the province,” said Kyle Fougere, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

What that means for Medicine Hat is about five to 10 centimetres.

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That has caused the city to start their winter prep a little earlier than normal.

Jeremy Petryshyn, Acting general manager of the municipal works department , says they generally start in mid-October.

“We’ve spent a lot of today and we’ll continue into tomorrow changing over our summer equipment into winter operations. So things like tandems that we were using for hauling gravels or asphalt are now being equipped with sanders so that they are ready to address icy roads. Machines that we’re used for cutting grass are now being equipped with blades and brooms so that we can clear off sidewalks,” he said.

Petryshyn says the biggest concern for his crew could be the ever-changing road conditions.

“The first snowfall is always hard because you’re dealing with some warm temperatures and cold temperatures coming in over top of that. So roads tend to freeze really quickly,” he said. “That’s probably the biggest challenge is that the road conditions will change really quick in this type of situation.”

Knowing what those winter roads can be like has prompted some drivers to get their winter tires put on already.

Fountain Tire manager Solomon Sands says over the last few days that has been what has filled up most of their schedule.

“This time of year we have people that are being proactive and putting their tires on now. But most people like to wait until the snowfall comes because they are under the misconception that you have to have snow on the ground,” he said.

Sands says the best time to get winter tires on is once temperatures begin to hit about seven degrees or lower constantly.

“But then once you get closer to zero degrees, all seasons start to kind of harden up where an ice radial tire stays soft and pliable. So you keep the good stopping power and still get the great handling, so you don’t suffer traction when you get to the colder temperatures,” Sands explained. “You don’t have to have snow on the ground, it just has to be cold for those tires to be effective.”

Whether you have winter tires or not, Sands and Petryshyn both are reminding people to drive carefully this weekend.

“It’s to remember what winter driving is like. It will take more time to stop. You should give yourself more time to get to places. And just watch your speeds,” said Petryshyn.

Snow is expected to start falling in the gas city on Friday with the worst of it coming on Sunday.

Fougere says he’s unsure how much of it will accumulate though since the ground is so warm with above-average temperatures up to this point.