City of Kelowna says snow event advisory to remain in place

More snow is in the Okanagan forecast this week.

And, because of that, the City of Kelowna says its snow event advisory that was issued on Dec. 20 will remain in place.

During a snow event advisory, temporary parking bans are in effect for designated snow routes.

According to the city, since early November, crews have responded to 17 snow events. It added that while conditions are favourable, crews are out scraping up a month’s worth of compact snow and ice before the next snowfall.

Environment Canada is forecasting a 70 per cent chance of snow on Thursday, followed by snow on Friday.

“We’ve had some above-zero temperatures these past couple days, meaning crews can finish clearing the roads down to bare asphalt, but the melt off means we also have large ponds, puddles of water and slush across the city,” said roadways operations manager Andrew Schwerdtfeger.

“We ask that residents continue to help clear the way by finding off-street parking, avoiding driving through puddles where possible and clearing catch basins in front of their homes, so water can drain off the streets.”

4:24 Kelowna Weather Forecast: December 27

The city says crews have applied more than 20,000 litres of calcium chloride to help with black ice, and that Priority 3 roads (local and residential) are expected to be complete in the next 24 hours, weather permitting.

Also, 180 truckloads of sand and 35 truckloads of salt have been applied to Kelowna roads.

Once the next snowfall starts, crews will move back to Priority One roads.

For more information about snow removal and priority routes, visit the City of Kelowna’s website.

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