EDMONTON -- It's okay to be late today.

That was the message from Edmonton police after snow blanketed the region Wednesday morning.

"Driving in these conditions is frustrating, but you know the drill. Please drive slowly, allow yourself extra stopping distance and be aware of your surroundings," police tweeted. "It is okay to be late today."

As of 12:15 p.m., police said there had been a total of 71 collisions in the city including:

  • Seven hit-and-run collisions
  • Two crashes that caused injuries
  • Sixty-two crashes that caused property damage

Edmonton Transit Service reported that some of its buses were running late because of the poor rood conditions.

ETS encouraged passengers to use its real-time bus tracking app to plan ahead.

A City of Edmonton seasonal parking ban is still in effect to deal with snowpack on the roads.

The city said its plow and sanders as well as contracted graders had been out clearing roads since Tuesday night.

"We're well prepared to handle this currently, heavy snowfall," a city spokesman said.

Strathcona County enacted its own parking ban in Sherwood Park at 7 a.m., and drivers were being asked to avoid parking on affected streets until snow was removed.

Many drivers took to Twitter to share stories of nightmare commutes using the hashtag #YEGtraffic, and encouraged others to slow down.

"The roads getting to @FlyEIA were brutal," one man said. "Made it safely to work but saw a lot of cars in ditches and a few near misses…if you're heading this way, please drive safely."

While temperatures are expected to remain mild through the week, Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning Wednesday due to an expected three to six centimetres of snow.

The snowfall should diminish in Edmonton by mid-day, according to CTV News Edmonton meteorologist Josh Classen.

Sun is expected to return Thursday with a high of 2C.