Heavy snow on B.C. Interior mountain passes

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – An intense storm system moving across B.C. this weekend is expected to dump snow on the mountain passes in the Interior.

Environment Canada has issued special weather statements warning of heavy snow today, Dec. 5, and tomorrow on the Coquihalla Highway from Merritt to Hope, and on Highway 3 in the Allison Pass on the section from Princeton to Hope and from the Paulson Summit to the Kootenay Pass.

Forecasters say the frontal system moving into the Interior today and tonight will bring between 10 to 20 centimetres of snow to those passes.

In the valley bottoms, expect showers with a chance of wet flurries today and overnight.

The southern B.C. coast is getting hit hard by the storm with heavy rain and high winds, especially on Vancouver Island, where gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour are expected in some areas. Power is already out to almost 6,000 B.C. Hydro customers.

Between 80 and120 millimetres of rain is expected on the North Shore of Metro Vancouver and Howe Sound by Monday morning.

For the latest highway conditions go to Drive B.C.'s website.

Environment Canada's website has the latest warnings and forecasts.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.