Spring snow stalls golfers but moisture welcomed by courses and fire crews

While snow and ice aren't ideal weather for hitting the links, a local golf course said it's happy to see some April precipitation.

Victoria Golf Course was scheduled to open Wednesday. However, that was pushed back after Thursday night's spring storm.

"It's just a little blip in the scheme of things," Hogan said. "It would be nice if it was just rain and we could keep going.

"But you know, any kind of moisture this time of year is always great for the golf course."

The driving range remained open for those willing to brave the wind, and Hogan said the rest of the course should open in a day or two.

"The only problem is you might have a little trouble seeing where your ball hits," he added. "But who knows, by later this afternoon most of this might be gone."

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For Alberta Wildfire, the snow and cold was a short – but welcome – reprieve ahead of what is expected to be another intense wildfire season.

"We're entering this season at a deficit," Melissa Story, a provincial information officer with Alberta Wildfire.

"We didn't have the snow over the winter months that we typically would see, we had a very dry fall last year and we're looking at drought-like conditions here in the province."

The vast majority of counties surrounding Edmonton had a fire advisory or fire restrictions in place as of Wednesday, and Parkland, Leduc, Lac Ste. Anne and Smoky Lake counties were all under a fire ban.

Story said there are few natural causes of fire this early in the season, so it's up to Albertans to keep wildfire at bay until later in the spring.

"This time of year is really critical for us, it's when we see lots of dry, dead vegetation until we start seeing green up," Story said. "We see a lot of wildfires that are human-caused … so we want to encourage Albertans who are out in the forest protection area to be mindful."

The Alberta government is expected to provide its first weekly wildfire update on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.

Visit Alberta Fire Bans for more information on fire safety and current conditions or restrictions.