Environment Canada has issued heavy snowfall warnings for a number of key highways in British Columbia with accumulation of up to 50 centimetres possible in some inland stretches.
The highway warnings come as British Columbia’s south and central coast are getting their first taste of winter weather this year, with snow falling over parts of Metro Vancouver.
The weather agency has warnings in effect for the Sea to Sky Highway from Squamish to Whistler, the Coquihalla from Hope to Merritt, Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton and from Grand Forks to Creston, the 97C Okanagan Connector and Highway 1 between Sicamous and Golden.
The forecast is especially hazardous on the Coquihalla and Highway 3, where up to 50 centimetres of snow and 80-kilometre-an-hour gusts could create blizzard-like conditions.
Environment Canada says “significant snow accumulations” are expected for inland sections of the central and south coast Monday and Tuesday, while strong winds are predicted for western and southern Vancouver Island.
It says there is also potential for snow along coastal sections of the south and eastern Vancouver Island followed by heavy rain, creating possible wintry-mix conditions on the Malahat Highway.
Meanwhile, about 10 to 15 centimetres of heavy snow was expected in Whistler and along the Sea to Sky Highway starting Monday afternoon.
The weather office said Howe Sound and the East Fraser Valley including Hope could expect similar amounts of snow before a warm front brings a transition to rain.
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