Snow accumulates in Grande Prairie as snowfall warnings were issued on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 for much of northern Alberta
© MAUREEN MCEWAN / GRANDE PRAIRIE DAILY HERALD TRIBUNESnow accumulates in Grande Prairie as snowfall warnings were issued on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 for much of northern Alberta
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.

But in the case of snow in September, it's safe to say most Albertans would prefer some distance.

Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Edmonton Wednesday, warning that a cold front is coming down from the Northwest Territories and invading Alberta, bringing snow with the heaviest amounts expected over the west-central part of the province, particularly between Grande Prairie and Jasper.

Snowfall warnings are in effect for the Grande Prairie, Grande Cache and Jasper regions.

In Edmonton, temperatures took a huge dip Wednesday morning as the cold front moved in, with the mercury tumbling from 8 C at 8 a.m. down to 0 C by 10 a.m. and -0.1 C by 11 a.m.

Snow started falling in Edmonton just after noon Wednesday and is expected to continue through Thursday, with forecasters predicting accumulations between three and eight centimetres.

"It's a 24-hour event, at least," said Dan Kulak, meteorologist with Environment Canada.



But how much of the snow will stick around depends largely on ground temperatures, said Kulak.

"We have been warm for a while. The air has cooled off from eight to zero ... but there's a lot of heat left in the ground," said Kulak. "How you even really begin to measure snow in these events is a real challenge."

The long-term forecast looks cool too. The average temperature for this time of year is 17 C but temperatures aren't expected to reach at least 15 C for another 10 days.

"We're in a bit of a cold snap here," said Kulak.

Alberta Transportation issued an advisory Wednesday, reminding motorists to prepare for winter conditions and adjust driving habits. For up-to-date road conditions, visit 511.alberta.ca

Winter clothes needed

As the cooler temperatures take hold, the Edmonton Emergency Relief Services Society (EERSS) is putting out a call for hats, gloves, coats, boots and blankets.

"We have been flooded with calls from other agencies to send their clients to us to get some winter clothes. We pulled out all what we have to our clothing bank, but we don't have enough," said Dalia Abdellatif, with EERSS, in a Wednesday release.

Donations can be dropped off at the downtown location, 10255 104 St., from Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Snow-tember

Residents in Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie and Slave Lake took to Twitter Wednesday to share their new Winter Wonderland reality.

Some are not pleased.