The winter blast created huge banks of snow throughout Calgary on Saturday. (Courtesy of Naim Krasniqi)The intense winter storm that hit much of Alberta Friday created havoc at airports and on roads Saturday, while police urged commuters to stay home.

The storm, which dumped as much as 20 centimetres of snow on much of the province, led to treacherous driving conditions and caused dozens of car accidents.

Highway 2 was closed between Calgary and Airdrie Friday night, reopening at about 8 a.m. MT Saturday morning.

However, police said conditions on the highway were still very poor, and warned travel north of Airdrie on the highway was not advisable. Highway 1 remained open, but police advised motorists to beware of black ice and poor visibility.

In Calgary, the snow made for poor driving conditions throughout the city.

City spokesman Shawn Somers said crews worked all night Friday trying to clear the main commuter routes.

"In terms of our ability to be effective on the roads, the less traffic the better. So if folks are able to stay home, certainly that would allow us to get our job done more efficiently," he said.

"In some ways this is kind of lucky that the snow hit when it did in that we have Saturday, which is a commuter-free day, which is going to open up the roads and allow us to be a little more effective in not having to battle traffic."

Somers told CBC News on Saturday morning crews had been working for more than 28 hours straight in an attempt to keep more than 3,500 kilometres of major roadways clear.

In Edmonton, ice and accumulated snow on the road made driving conditions treacherous, while blowing snow made for poor visibility.

Flights cancelled, delayed

Some vehicles needed a push to climb the steep hills leading into downtown Edmonton, like this one on 105th Street on Friday morning. (CBC)The storm also caused huge delays at airports in Calgary and Edmonton.

At 2:30 p.m. MT, dozens of departures and arrivals were cancelled at Calgary International Airport.

Edmonton International Airport reported only one cancellation Saturday, but dozens of flights were delayed because of the weather. Travellers were advised to check for delays or cancellations before leaving for the airport.

More snow in forecast

A winter storm warning remained in effect for all of southern Alberta Saturday, from Red Deer south to the U.S. border.

The forecast for much of the province called for more snow and plunging temperatures, feeling as cold as –30 C with wind chill.

Forecasters said the daily high for much of Alberta through to Wednesday would only be about –15 C.

With files from The Canadian Press