Despite a blustery Sunday afternoon, it appears Drumheller weathered the storm.
Winter storm warnings bombarded media starting Friday, anticipating heavy snow and wind. While many areas of the province saw highway closures and warnings, the storm was relatively uneventful, according to Drumheller RCMP.
Constable Tom Bowden said there were few calls on Sunday.
“The road conditions weren’t favourable obviously. I went from Drumheller to Calgary and there were several cars in the ditch near Calgary, but in the Drumheller area it was relatively good,” said Bowden.
“I think people in Drumheller understand how to drive in poor road conditions better than other places.”
Other areas saw conditions that were more treacherous. Highway 9 from Hanna to the Saskatchewan border was closed according to Oyen RCMP and a state of emergency was declared. Travel was not recommended on Highway 1 between Strathmore and Brooks.
Al Kendrick, Director of Infrastructure Services for the Town of Drumheller, said they were able to keep up with local snow clearing.
“A spring storm is typical Alberta thing, and it complicates a little when you have ice or slush underneath it,” said Kendrick. “We do the best we can with what we have.”
Theresa Vyvey, manager of the Ramada in Drumheller, said, while they were busy, they had room for a number of guests who decided not to brave the highways. There were times they re-welcomed guests and were able to accommodate them.
“We were pretty much full anyway, and we had some guests who left and then came back,” said Vyvey. “We scrambled around to find extra room. Thankfully, we did."
