Snow blankets highway west of Okanagan, roadway slick

As travelers look to hit the roads for the Canada Day Long Weekend, the last thing on their minds is snow.

But that’s what’s coming down on the Okanagan Connector.

An unseasonably cold weather front caused temperatures to plummet at the Pennask Summit on Highway 97C, at 1,717 metres or 5,600 feet elevation, turning rain into snow on Thursday evening.

The area saw at least one rollover crash as the storm hit.

As darkness falls, the temperature could fall below zero turning snowy and wet roads into ice.

0:42 Coquihalla highway snow

While snow tires are not required on the route in the summer, numerous signs on high-elevation highways like the Connector and Coquihalla warn that winter conditions can be found on the routes through out the year.

Snow blanketed Highway 97C on Thursday morning as well.

DriveBC weather information for the Pennask Summit states that 23 mm of precipitation has fallen since 6 p.m. on Thursday.