Snowfall warning for Coquihalla

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – If you were planning on hitting the highways tonight you may want to think again, up to 25 centimetres of snow is expected by Friday afternoon.

Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, noting 20 to 25 cm of snow is expected before the Pacific frontal system eases off Friday afternoon.

There is currently about 80 cm of snow on the ground at the Coquihalla Summit, with almost 5 cm having already fallen today.

While no other warnings have been issued for Interior highways up to 10 cm of snow is expected on the Okanagan Connector and up to 15 cm of snow at Allison Pass on Highway 3 by Friday morning. Up to 9 cm is expected on the northern section of the Coquihalla Highway.

Drive B.C. is reporting compact snow, slippery sections and strong winds with blowing snow throughout the region.

In the valley bottoms we can expect a few centimetres of snow overnight and temperatures dipping as low as -6 Celsius. Cloudy skies and a chance of flurries will persist Friday, along with the high expected to reach just above seasonal normals of 0 C.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.