Winter has arrived here in Cochrane! ... And along with extremely cold temperatures, we also experience the ramifications of heavy snow and ice.

While winter conditions certainly put our vehicles to the test we want to make sure our cars are running as smoothly as possible, to get us to where we need to go safely.

Owner of Erol's Automotive - Erol Yersol says extremely cold temperatures and winter weather conditions can have a big impact on the reliability of our cars.

Yersol says it's important to have our cars regularly serviced so we don't encounter any surprises.

"We recommend to our customers to get their cars in - in the spring and fall. Make sure in the spring that you're good to go through the hot summer, and in the fall to go through the cold winter. You also want to make sure your battery is in good condition. Batteries start losing their ability to hold a reserve charge and be able to start your car in the colder weather. You also want to make sure your oil is nice and clean. If the oil starts to get dirty it loses its viscosity and gets thicker, and it will be harder to crank your engine over."

Yersol also says it's import to plug your car into a block heater when temperatures are below minus 15.

It's been snowing steadily in Cochrane for the last few days, and temperatures are expected to drop to minus 20 overnight.