© Lorraine Hjalte,/Calgary Herald November 16, 2013 - Police were advising people to stay at home if they can as a winter storm blew into Calgary early Saturday morning making for low visibility.
Winter weather brought frigid temperatures to Calgary on Saturday, with a little more snow expected to fall before the end of the night.
As blustery conditions dropped another layer of the white stuff on the city, police reported about 133 vehicle accidents by 7 p.m., six of which involving minor injuries, said Const. Stephen Vaney.
Outside of the city, meanwhile, the winter blast wreaked havoc on roads and highways, causing crashes and pileups.
A winter storm warning remained in effect for the Red Deer area, though Environment Canada ended its snow fall warning for Calgary, forecasting that about two centimetres would hit the city before the late evening. Temperatures dropped to nearly -13C, or -22 with the wind chill.
Earlier Saturday, havoc on roads and highways outside of Calgary kept emergency crews busy.
A 30-vehicle pileup near Crossfield on QE2 was caused after a semi-truck jackknifed and another crash closed lanes to travel for hours.
Stranded motorists were removed from the scene and some were taken to a Crossfield church to stay warm, police say.
Comment: So though it is described as a rare event, flooding according to the article also happened in May this year and in 2009 and 2011. Perhaps the rarity of flooding is a thing of the past for Saudi Arabia and many other places. In quick google search reveals just how common this is:
2009: Saudi Arabia floods leave 77 dead
2011: Saudi Arabia to Punish Officials for Damage After Jeddah Floods
April 2012: 18 Killed in Saudi Arabia Floods over Past Week
May 2013: Flash floods in Saudi Arabia leave 13 dead
August 2013: Eight people killed in Saudi Arabia flash floods
Increased precipitation is happening the world over and when the temperatures start going south then the precipitation will fall as snow and the onset of a mini/normal ice age is on the cards.