A winter storm warning for highway mountain passes in B.C.’s Southern Interior continues to be in effect.
Issued Thursday afternoon, Nov. 9, by Environment Canada, the warning is for the Coquihalla Highway plus parts of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 3.
The national weather agency says a Pacific storm system that made landfall on Friday will produce 15 to 40 cm of snow at higher elevations on those highways.
Motorists are warned that rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations and that visibility may be reduced at times.
A rainfall warning is currently in effect for the Fraser Valley, where 50 to 70 mm is expected.
For the Coquihalla Highway, from Hope to Merritt, 25 to 40 cm is projected before snowfall eases Sunday morning, Nov. 12. Northbound commercial vehicles are required to chain up at Box Canyon.
Highway 3, which runs parallel to the Canada-U.S. border, has two sections under a winter storm warning: from Hope to Princeton (15-20 cm), and from Grand Forks to Creston (15-25 cm).
Lastly, the Trans-Canada Highway from Salmon Arm to Golden is under a special weather statement. That stretch (Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass) is projected to receive 20 to 30 cm of snow before the weather tapers off Sunday morning.
Also, a proactive closure for potential mud and debris flows between Boston Bar and Lytton is still in effect, though an update is expected at 9 a.m.
Notably, Highway 93 in Alberta, which runs from Jasper to Banff, is also under a winter storm warning, with 25 to 35 cm of snow expected.
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