Winter-like conditions impacted a number of major highways in parts of B.C. Saturday morning.
Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings for Highway 3 between the Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass after 15 to 20 centimetres of snow accumulated overnight.
A further five to 10 centimetres is expected to fall through Saturday. Total accumulations for this storm could top 40 centimetres.
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“An upper level disturbance has moved from coastal BC south into Washington State bringing a colder airmass to the interior,” the national weather agency said.
Meanwhile, five to 10 centimetres of snow also fell along Coquihalla Highway, Allison Pass and Pennask Summit. A further two to five centimetres is expected. The snow there is expected to taper off by Saturday afternoon.
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Forecasters say drier conditions and more seasonal temperatures will return early next week.
Winter tire regulations in B.C. will be enforced starting Oct 1, but the statement says weather in the mountains can change suddenly resulting in hazardous driving conditions.
Doug Lundquist, a forecaster for Environment Canada, says most of the snow accumulation will likely happen in the Kootenay Pass.
“We really want to get the message out there that if people are planning on travelling, we want them to start to prepare for winter weather driving over high terrain.”
– with a file from The Canadian Press
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