Snow expected on the Coquihalla Highway this weekend

Kamloops and the Okanagan can look forward to a typical spring forecast over the weekend with a mix of sun, cloud and precipitation today through Sunday.

Temperatures are expected to hover around the seasonal average mark for this time of year.

Motorists using mountain passes should be aware of the likelihood of winter driving conditions on parts of the Coquihalla Highway however, as winter persists at higher elevations.

Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon says the Coquihalla summit could see a few centimetres of snow between now and Saturday, but a cold front expected on Sunday could bring several more centimetres of snow to the Hope to Merritt section of the highway.

Sekhon says motorists intending to use the highway should check road conditions on Drive BC.

Showers are expected on the valley bottoms on Sunday with the advance of the weather system.

“We aren’t expecting much in the way of showers for the first half of the weekend, but Sunday could see a few millimetres of rain for Kamloops and Okanagan cities,” Sekhon says.

Highs today through Saturday are expected to range from 10 Celsius to 15 C.

A high of 9 C is expected in Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon on Sunday, 13 C in Kamloops.

Sekhon says a rebound in temperatures is expected following a cool start to next week, with highs in the mid-teens anticipated after mid-week.

Normal daily highs and lows for Kamloops this time of year is 13 C and 1 C.

In Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton the daily normal high and low for late March is 11 C and 0 C.

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