Winter Driving
Driving around Lethbridge in winter means black ice after a chinook, ground blizzards on open highways under a clear sky, and the odd morning of ice fog. This page covers tires, checking the roads, following distance, what to do when you suddenly can’t see, plugging in, and the one thing never to do with a remote starter.
On this page
Winter tires
Alberta doesn’t require winter tires. The Government of Alberta says it has not mandated winter tires, but it recommends driving in severe winter conditions with a vehicle equipped with four winter or all-weather tires.
- Why they help: Alberta’s Safer Winter Highways page says winter tires are designed for our low temperatures and snowy, icy conditions, and give better traction than regular or all-season tires. The latest winter tires stay flexible at temperatures approaching −30°C and below.
- The symbol: look for a peaked mountain with a snowflake on the sidewall. Alberta’s winter tire fact sheet uses that symbol to identify winter tires.
- All four, not two. The province’s recommendation is four winter or all-weather tires, not just a pair.
- Check them in the fall, including the spare, as part of getting the vehicle ready for winter.
Heading west? British Columbia is different. Its government says winter tires or chains are required on most BC routes from October 1 to April 30 (to March 31 on some routes outside mountain passes and high-snowfall areas). If you’re driving through the Crowsnest Pass into BC, check the province’s designated winter tire and chain routes before you go.
Check the roads first
511 Alberta is a free traveller information service operated by the Government of Alberta, on the web at 511.alberta.ca and as an app. It shows highway conditions, construction, major incidents and other things affecting travel on provincial highways. The Alberta RCMP suggest checking it before every winter trip, because conditions can change quickly.
Our vehicle kit page has the full before-you-go list: the forecast for where you’re going, telling someone your route, a full tank and clean windows. Two things worth repeating here:
- Clear all the snow off, not just a peephole. Alberta’s list includes the windows, side mirrors, headlights, tail lights and licence plate. The Alberta RCMP say to remove all snow from the vehicle before each trip, which includes the roof.
- Be ready to change your plans. Get Prepared advises avoiding driving during a winter storm and delaying travel until it’s over.
Black ice and the chinook refreeze
Black ice is a thin layer of transparent ice on the road. It looks black because you’re seeing the pavement through it. Get Prepared warns that it can be hard to see even when visibility is good.
Lethbridge has more of it than snowfall alone would suggest, because of chinooks. A warm afternoon melts snow on the road and along the shoulders, the meltwater runs across the pavement, and when the chinook ends or the sun goes down, it freezes. The same thing turns our sidewalks to glass, as our sidewalks and snow page explains.
Where to expect it
- Bridges and overpasses, which lose heat from above and below.
- Shaded spots such as coulee roads, underpasses and the shadows of buildings and shelterbelts.
- Intersections, where exhaust and stopping traffic polish the surface.
- The evening after a chinook, and any foggy morning below freezing. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) says freezing fog is made of supercooled droplets that usually leave rime or glaze on whatever they touch, and that includes the road.
How to drive on it
- Slow down before you reach it, not on it.
- Be gentle with the brakes, the gas and the steering. Alberta’s advice is to be gentle with braking pressure on slick roads.
- Never use cruise control in winter conditions, Alberta says. The Saskatchewan driver’s handbook adds that this matters even more when black ice may be present.
Watch the temperature trend, not just the high. A day that reaches +8°C and drops to −10°C overnight is a black ice night. The forecast page shows when temperatures are expected to cross zero.
Ground blizzards and blowing snow
A ground blizzard can happen under a blue sky. No new snow needs to fall: strong wind picks up the snow already on the ground and drives it across the road. ECCC defines blowing snow as snow particles stirred up by wind high enough to cut visibility to 10 km or less. In a strong west wind on open prairie, it can drop to almost nothing in seconds.
Lethbridge averages about 116 days a year with wind gusts of 40 km/h or more, and the open stretches around the city, such as Highway 3 toward Fort Macleod, Highway 4 toward Milk River and Highway 23 north, are where it happens most. The trouble spots are gaps in shelterbelts, crests of hills and cuts where the road crosses a coulee.
- ECCC’s weather impact guide for visibility, which covers blizzards and blowing snow, warns that at the high end travel becomes dangerous to impossible and drivers face a higher risk of disorientation.
- The Alberta RCMP suggest considering staying off the road when there are icy roads and blowing snow.
- The Saskatchewan driver’s handbook says that if storms develop during a trip, consider stopping in a town or village rather than carrying on when there’s a chance of being stranded.
Following distance and speed
- Leave room. On ice, stopping distances get much longer. Pick a fixed point such as a sign, and count the seconds from when the vehicle ahead passes it until you do.
- Posted limits are for ideal conditions. Alberta reminds drivers that winter roads aren’t ideal, so slow down. The RCMP’s phrase is to drive to conditions, and to allow extra time.
- Snowplows: stay back until they let you pass, as Alberta advises. Their blades and the snow cloud behind them are dangerous to drive into.
- Find traction. On snowy roads, Alberta suggests driving outside the previous tire tracks for extra grip.
Whiteouts and ice fog: what to do
The Saskatchewan driver’s handbook describes a whiteout as the moment the sky, the horizon and the ground blend into one. Its simplest rule: if you can’t see through your windows, you shouldn’t drive.
If visibility drops suddenly
- Ease off the gas and slow down gradually. Don’t brake hard; the driver behind you can’t see either.
- Turn your headlights on. Alberta says to keep them on so drivers behind can see your tail lights. Daytime running lights often don’t light the rear of the vehicle.
- Keep both hands on the wheel and expect gusts at gaps and crests.
- If you can’t see, get off the road. Manitoba’s driver’s handbook says to cautiously pull off the pavement, stop and wait until visibility improves. Pull completely off, as far to the right as you safely can, ideally into a turnout, side road or parking lot, and turn on your hazard lights once you’ve stopped. Never stop in a driving lane.
- Wait it out. If you’re stuck for a while, follow the steps on our if you’re stranded section: stay with the vehicle and keep the tailpipe clear.
Our vehicle kit page has more on wind, dust and blowing snow.
Ice fog
On rare, very cold, still mornings, Lethbridge can get ice fog. ECCC describes it as fog made of tiny ice crystals, which form when tiny supercooled water droplets freeze. It takes bitter cold, which is why it’s rare here. Vehicle exhaust adds to it; the Saskatchewan handbook notes that exhaust clouds can severely limit visibility. Treat it like any fog: slow down, headlights on, extra space, and expect the road to be slick.
Plugging in: when and how long
A block heater warms the engine’s coolant so it starts more easily, wears less and gives you heat sooner.
| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| When? | At −15°C or colder. This is a widely quoted Alberta guideline, not a government rule. NRCan gives no plug-in temperature. | A motor club recommendation, as reported by CBC News (see Sources) |
| How long? | About 2 hours is enough. You don’t need to plug in overnight. | Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) |
| Timer? | Yes. Use one set to turn the block heater on 2 hours before you plan to start the engine. | NRCan |
| Is it worth it? | NRCan says at −20°C a block heater can improve overall fuel economy by as much as 10 percent. | NRCan |
Warming up
NRCan says the best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it, gently, for the first few minutes. Its older guidance says two to three minutes of idling is usually enough before driving, even on a cold day; its newer fact sheet says idling for more than 30 seconds has no benefit for the vehicle. Either way, a long warm-up mostly wastes fuel. Give the windows time to clear completely before you go.
Cords
- Check the cord before every cold snap. Lethbridge’s chief fire marshal has warned that frayed or cracked cords can overheat and cause fires. Replace a damaged extension cord, and have a damaged block heater cord on the vehicle repaired.
- Unplug before you drive away, and hang the cord where you’ll see it. A cord torn out of the outlet is a fire and shock risk.
Remote starters, garages and carbon monoxide
Never warm up or idle a vehicle in a garage, attached or not, even with the big door open. Health Canada says not to idle vehicles in the garage even when the door is open, and Get Prepared says the same. Carbon monoxide has no colour or smell. In an attached garage it can seep into the house through the connecting door, walls and ceiling.
- Open the garage door before you start the engine, then back straight out and let it warm up outside. Lethbridge’s chief fire marshal gives the same advice: open the garage and take the vehicle outside before you warm it up.
- Remote starters: never use one when the vehicle is parked in a garage. If you have one, make sure every driver in the family knows the rule, and consider disabling the remote start when the vehicle lives in the garage. NRCan also suggests using remote starters wisely to avoid long warm-ups.
- Keep the door between the house and the garage closed, as Health Canada advises.
- Check the tailpipe first. A tailpipe packed with snow from a plow ridge or a drift can push exhaust into the cabin. Clear it before every start, especially before a remote start. Our vehicle kit page covers exhaust and carbon monoxide in more detail.
- A CO alarm in the house near the bedrooms is your backup. See winterizing your home.
Black ice isn’t really black. It’s so clear that you see the dark road right through it, so drivers can’t tell it’s there. That’s why grown-ups slow down when it’s been melting and then freezing.
Wonder: why might a bridge get icy before the road leading up to it?
Try this: with a grown-up, pour a very thin layer of water onto a dark plate and a white plate and put them in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, which one is harder to see the ice on? Now you know why black ice is sneaky.
Your vehicle kit
A winter breakdown on an open highway can turn into a long, cold wait. Our vehicle kit page has the full list (warm clothes and boots for everyone who rides along, a blanket or sleeping bag, a shovel, traction aid, booster cables, food, water and a phone charger) and a printable checklist. Our what to wear page explains dressing for the cold, so if you do end up in the ditch, you’re dressed for it.
Keep the tank well filled in winter so you have heat if you’re held up. Get Prepared‘s winter storm advice is to have a full tank before a storm.
Handy tools for this
- Crosswind Checker: Check the wind against your vehicle before a highway trip. Most useful for RVs, trailers and high-sided vehicles.
- Frostbite Clock: How fast exposed skin can freeze at today’s temperature and wind.
- All games and tools: Every tool on our sites in one place.
Sources
- Government of Alberta, Winter tires (fact sheet: no mandate; recommends four winter or all-weather tires; mountain and snowflake symbol): alberta.ca
- Government of Alberta, Safer winter highways (following distance, cruise control, headlights, snowplows, clearing snow, winter tires): alberta.ca
- Government of Alberta, 511 Alberta highway information: alberta.ca
- 511 Alberta: 511.alberta.ca
- Government of British Columbia, Designated winter tire and chain routes: gov.bc.ca
- Public Safety Canada, Winter storms: how to prepare (black ice; avoid driving in storms; don’t idle in a garage): canada.ca
- Saskatchewan Government Insurance, Saskatchewan Driver’s Handbook, Winter driving (whiteouts, black ice, following distance, exhaust clouds): sgi.sk.ca
- Manitoba Public Insurance, Driver’s Handbook, Reduced visibility (pull off the pavement, stop and wait): mpi.mb.ca
- Fitzhugh, As the snow flies in Alberta, RCMP offer some tips for winter driving (undated; photo from November 2022): fitzhugh.ca
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Climate glossary (blowing snow, freezing fog, ice fog): climate.weather.gc.ca
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Weather impact guides (visibility, including blizzards and blowing snow): canada.ca
- Natural Resources Canada, Ready to use facts on idling (block heaters: two hours; timers; fuel economy; warm-up idling): oee.nrcan.gc.ca
- Natural Resources Canada, Block heaters save fuel and help the environment: oee.nrcan.gc.ca
- Natural Resources Canada, Auto$mart, Learn the facts: cold weather effects on fuel efficiency (2014) (timer 2 hours before; idling over 30 seconds): natural-resources.canada.ca
- Natural Resources Canada, Idling FAQs (remote starters; warm-up): oee.nrcan.gc.ca
- CBC News, Most Albertans skip plugging in cars on cold days, survey finds (undated, about 2018; reports the Alberta Motor Association’s recommendation to plug in at −15°C): cbc.ca
- Health Canada, Carbon monoxide: preventing exposure (garages; the door between house and garage): canada.ca
- My Lethbridge Now, Lethbridge’s chief fire marshal offers tips to safely stay warm during cold snaps (February 2025) (block heater cords; starting a vehicle in a garage): mylethbridgenow.com
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020, Lethbridge (about 116 days a year with gusts of 40 km/h or more).