Wednesday night's dump of snow won't last long as the mercury returns to above zero.

Broken branches, downed power lines, a thick blanket of slush and a wind chill that made temperatures feel like minus six welcomed Calgarians as they trudged into work this morning.

"The 23rd is the beginning of our usual frost-free period. Normally we're into no more snow, no more freezing temperatures," said Global TV weather expert Paul Dunphy. "But we do still get the occasional big blast of snow into May."

Over 48 centimetres fell on Calgary on May 6, 1981, the biggest ever May snowfall for the area.

On Wednesday night, between 10 and 15 centimetres fell, Dunphy said.

Crews across the city were busy cleaning fallen tree branches - including one blocking a lane of Centre St. N., while Enmax workers scrambled to restore power to steet lights and homes.

The north end of Calgary had taken the worst hit from the overnight storm, with thick slush sticking to streets, but the entire city was left wondering what happened to green lawns and freshly planted flowerbeds.

The mercury is slated to climb back to 19 C by Saturday.