An early dump of snow has turned British Columbia’s Coquihalla Highway into a treacherous trek, especially for drivers unprepared for the weather.
Environment Canada forecaster Trevor Smith says as much as 10 centimetres piled up on the route Thursday night and the snowfall continued into Friday, prompting an indefinite closure of the highway at Kamloops.
DriveBC reports Highway 5 is closed southbound at Kamloops due to several ‘spun out trucks on the road’. There is currently no estimated time of reopening.
tWEET
Smith forecasts a further five centimetres through the day and says an additional two centimetres of snow is expected Saturday.
About eight centimetres also fell on the Okanagan Connector, Highway 97C, between Merritt and Kelowna. Several cars lost control on the highway Thursday evening.
Smith warns the freezing level is expected to climb on Saturday, meaning any snowfall could create slippery conditions.
The DriveBC website is advising motorists to detour via Highway 1 until the closure ends.
Smith says winter-like conditions may seem to have arrived early, but it’s not that unusual to see snow on higher elevation passes at this time of year.
Related: Snow has arrived in the Shuswap
For more information on driving in winter conditions, click here.
For up to date details on highway conditions and road closures check DriveBC.
You can also monitor Environment Canada for alerts, warnings and updated forecasts.
Have a great weather photo or video to share? Click ‘Contact’ at the top of the page.
signature
