Get ready for some ugly road conditions at higher elevations in southern Interior

While temperatures in valley bottoms are expected to be relatively balmy for the next few days, driving in higher elevations could be tricky as a warm front moves into the southern Interior.

“For higher terrain, it means a real mix of snow turning to freezing rain at times and perhaps a mix of rain and snow, all the way from tonight towards the Coquihalla through to early next week,” Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist told iNFOnews.ca, Nov. 10.

“It’s just a very active, nasty pattern for the high elevation travellers."

The warm front coming through the region will bring unseasonably warm temperatures – in the 6 Celsius to 10 C range during the days and 2 C to 6 C at night.

“The overnight lows are what our normal daytime highs are for this time of year,” Lundquist said.

The daytime highs are likely to come during sunny breaks in what will most often be cloudy and rainy skies. If clearing happens at night, there’s a risk of black ice near the valley bottoms, he said.

READ MORE: 'No zoomy zoom on the slicky slick or you'll go boom boom': Merritt RCMP

But the real problems will be in the mountain passes.

There were 30 to 35 centimetres of snow forecast for parts of the Coquihalla Highway Tuesday night. The official forecast called for two more centimetres of snow from Hope to Merritt yesterday, periods of snow with 2 to 4 cm last night then rain – possibly freezing rain – beginning early in the afternoon today, Thursday.

“Check Drive B.C. and check our forecasts and don’t head out with the wrong equipment on your car,” Lundquist cautioned.

Go to Drive B.C. here for the latest driving conditions in B.C.

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