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Update – A travel advisory has been issued for the Coquihalla highway between Hope and Merritt due to the snow.
Expect limited visibility with heavy snowfall, leading to delays. Expect delays.
People are urged to be extremely careful if you’re on the highways, and to prepare for extreme winter weather conditions.
Original – If you’re planning a trip through the mountain passes in southern B.C., you might want to leave today before a powerful storm moves in tonight.
A winter storm warning is now in effect for the Hope to Merritt section of the Coquihalla and for Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass on Highway 1.
Environment Canada is now calling for between 30 and 60 cm of snow on both those sections of highways, between tonight and the end of Saturday.
“It’s only the highest terrain that is going to see those highest amounts. A couple times a winter we’ll get some sort of snow of snow event like this, but it definitely is in the higher, so it’s not the everyday type of snowfall,” Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist says.
On the Coquihalla from Merritt to Kamloops, you can expect between 10 and 15 cm by tomorrow morning, and between 15 to 25 cm on the Okanagan Connector from Merritt to Kelowna. Snowfall warnings are in place for both of those highways.
On the Hope-Princeton Highway, a winter storm warning is also in place, with 30 to 60 cm also possible by Saturday night.
The updated forecast is significant storm upgrade from special weather statements that were issued Wednesday afternoon, with the snowfall amounts expected to fall tonight into Friday evening.
Local snow in Kamloops is only expecting to be about 4 cm tonight, but snow is expected to continue tomorrow and into Saturday.
“The main issue in the valley is it’s probably warm enough to come down as a lot of rain. But we’re also forecasting periods of snow Friday night into Saturday, and periods of snow on Saturday in Kamloops. But I think it’s mostly a high-terrain event with slushiness in the valley. And that can cause a lot of problems travelling too,” Lundquist says.
Ahead of a busy holiday period of travelling, drivers are asked to keep an eye out on the conditions and delay travel plans if conditions are too treacherous.
