Winter has officially arrived in the B.C. Interior as the region experiences its first snowfall of the season, while Environment Canada warns of freezing rain on high-elevation mountain passes.
Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for the Thompson, North Okanagan and Shuswap regions but it came to an end around 10:30 a.m. The weather service says five centimetres of snow fell overnight, and an additional five to 10 centimetres of snow is expected to fall on Tuesday.
“Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations,” the weather statement warns. “Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow.”
Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist explains what prompted the early snowfall.
“We are actually in a fairly mild air mass for this time of year, but because the rain and precipitation came during the overnight hours, it came down as snow in some locations,” he said.
Lundquist said the snow is not going to stick around as temperatures climb.
“It’s going to warm up so that snow level will try to retreat itself up the mountainside, maybe reaching 1,400 metres in the Kelowna area by the middle of the day,” he said.
Meanwhile, snow is falling on the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Kamloops, the Okanagan Connector between Merritt and Kelowna and Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton via Allison Pass.
Environment Canada’s B.C. Travellers Routes says there is a risk of freezing rain on all of the high-elevation highway mountain passes producing slippery driving conditions.
The Coquihalla is forecast to receive 10 centimetres of snow at the summit on Tuesday, with the snow level rising to 1,500 metres by the afternoon.
The Okanagan Connector will receive five to 10 centimetres of snow, but less will fall on Highway 3, as two to four centimetres are expected there, according to the weather service.
As of Oct. 1, drivers travelling on most B.C. highways are required to equip their vehicles with winter tires until April 30.
Drivers without the proper winter tires could receive a fine of $121, commercial vehicles not carrying chains when required could face a $196 penalty, and commercial vehicles bypassing an active chain-up area could face a $598 fine.
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- On the ‘frontline’: Toronto-area residents hiring security firms to fight auto theft
- Honda’s $15B Ontario EV plant marks ‘historic day,’ Trudeau says
- Canadians more likely to eat food past best-before date. What are the risks?
Comments