Snow day in Alberta. The Coquihalla work zones hold the score.

Alberta — Highway 2 (QEII)

QEII: snow day — 2 cm today and 2 cm tonight in Edmonton, flurries at Calgary

The 5:07 a.m. MDT corridor read shows Highway 2 mostly dry with ice in places, lowest minus 6 degrees, winds to 22 km/h. At 5:00 a.m. Edmonton Blatchford read minus 1.3 degrees with a north-northwest wind at 18 km/h gusting to 34, and Calgary International read minus 0.1 degrees with a north wind at 19 km/h. Environment Canada calls for snow in Edmonton today, amount 2 cm, temperature falling to minus 3 this afternoon with wind chill near minus 9, then light snow tonight, amount 2 cm, temperature steady near minus 3. Calgary gets cloud with a 60 percent chance of flurries today, falling to minus 3, and tonight mainly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of flurries, low minus 6 with wind chill near minus 10. No Environment Canada warnings are in force as of the 5:07 a.m. check.

Source: Environment Canada (Edmonton + Calgary direct) + Weather Navigation road report (presenting 511 Alberta data)

Alberta — Highway 16 (Yellowhead)

Yellowhead: mostly snow and ice — Jasper snow today, wind chill minus 11 tonight

The 5:07 a.m. MDT corridor read shows Highway 16 mostly snow with ice in places, lowest minus 4 degrees, winds to 18 km/h. At 5:00 a.m. Jasper Warden Station read minus 1.7 degrees with a northeast wind at 21 km/h gusting to 35. Environment Canada calls for periods of snow at Jasper today, temperature steady near minus 2 with wind chill near minus 9, then tonight mainly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of flurries, low minus 5 with wind chill near minus 11. No closures or restrictions were shown on the corridor read, and no Environment Canada warnings are in force as of the 5:07 a.m. check.

Source: Environment Canada (Jasper direct) + Weather Navigation road report (presenting 511 Alberta data) · Read next: Best tire chains for semi trucks in Canada

British Columbia — Highway 5 (Coquihalla)

Coquihalla open — two work zones to Oct 31, snow level at valley bottom

Highway 5 between Hope and Kamloops stayed open to through traffic overnight with no incidents reported, checked at 4:00 a.m. PDT. Two work zones remain in effect until Oct 31, and drive times are running 7 minutes over typical in both directions — 1 hour 58 minutes against a typical 1 hour 51 minutes. At 4:00 a.m. PDT Merritt read 2.0 degrees with calm wind. Environment Canada's Merritt forecast calls for cloud today with a 60 percent chance of wet flurries or rain showers early in the morning, snow level near valley bottom, high plus 5, and tonight mainly cloudy with a 60 percent chance of showers early in the evening, snow level near valley bottom, low minus 4. M+S or 3-peak-mountain-snowflake tires are required on the route from Oct 1 to Apr 30. No chain-up requirement is posted.

Source: Is The Coquihalla Open (polling DriveBC's Open511 feed) + Environment Canada (Merritt direct) · Read next: Best tire chains for semi trucks in Canada

Ontario — Highway 401 (Windsor–Toronto–Kingston)

401: mainline open — one construction lane at McCowan, Toronto clears to 16

The 401 mainline is open through Toronto this morning. The live traffic read at 7:20 a.m. EDT showed 0 of 9 major Toronto highways with a major incident or full closure, with the 401's only listed item a continuous-construction closure of 1 right lane on the eastbound express at McCowan Road, rated moderate and in place since Oct 26 — lane-level, not a corridor closure. At 7:00 a.m. EDT Toronto Pearson read 9.3 degrees with an east-southeast wind at 8 km/h. Environment Canada's Toronto-area forecast calls for mainly cloudy conditions today, clearing early this afternoon, high 16, and tonight a few clouds, low plus 7. No Environment Canada alerts are shown for the corridor.

Source: routeoutlook.com (live traffic aggregator, presenting Ontario 511 data) + Environment Canada (Toronto-area)

Alberta — beyond the corridors (regional context)

Beyond the corridors: snowfall warning at Fort McMurray as the Prairie snow continues

The snow keeps falling across the Prairies through Wednesday ahead of a colder Thursday, according to The Weather Network's morning wire, which reports an Environment and Climate Change Canada snowfall warning for the Fort McMurray area. That warning sits northeast of both Alberta corridors and is not scored on the Parked Index board, but it marks the same system now putting snow on the QEII and the Yellowhead. The Weather Network notes daytime highs staying below freezing across most of Alberta by Wednesday, with subfreezing highs not seen since the end of April.

Source: The Weather Network (reporting Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Alberta + BC + Ontario — week ahead (Environment Canada forecasts)

Week ahead: Thursday night is the cold one — sunny recovery by the weekend

Thursday is the cold night: Environment Canada calls for a clear Thursday night low of minus 8 in Edmonton and a cloudy low of minus 6 in Calgary, with a clear low of minus 12 at Jasper on Thursday night. Merritt cools to a low of minus 4 on Thursday night, while Toronto warms to a high of 21 on Thursday with a low of 7. Friday and the weekend turn sunny across Alberta — Edmonton sunny with highs of plus 2, plus 4 and plus 5, Calgary sunny to plus 8 on Saturday, Jasper sunny to plus 6 — before the next system is watched. The message for drivers staging loads: Wednesday is the snow day, Thursday night is the cold one, and the weekend is the recovery window.

Source: Environment Canada (Edmonton + Calgary + Jasper + Merritt + Toronto-area direct) · Read next: Winter emergency gear for truck drivers

Bottom line for drivers

No corridor is closed and no Environment Canada warnings are in force on the Alberta corridors, but Wednesday is a snow day in Alberta: snow on the QEII and at Jasper, flurries at Calgary, and the coldest night of the week follows on Thursday. Check 511 and Environment Canada before rolling, and give the Coquihalla work zones room.

Deeper on winter itself: the winter gear hub — heat, freeze, traction, sleep — and the free Winter Cab Checklist.

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