iN TRAFFIC: Winter storm warning in effect for the Coquihalla
It looks like driving conditions in the Interior are going to be dicey today, Dec. 18.
DriveB.C. is reporting the Coquihalla is closed due to a vehicle incident. It happened between Coldwater Road and Comstock Road, 9 kilometres south of Merritt.
“Expect major delays,” DriveB.C. warns.
DriveB.C. is reporting Highway 1 has slippery sections for 231 kilometres between Kamloops and Glacier National Park; Highway 97 has compact snow throughout the Okanagan, slippery sections between Osoyoos and Kelowna, and limited visibility due to snow between Kelowna and Coldstream; Highway 3A has slippery sections between Kaleden and Keremeos; Highway 97A has slippery sections throughout; Highway 97C has slippery sections between West Kelowna and Merritt; and Highway 97D has compact snow throughout.
Highway 97 will be closed between Summerland and Peachland from 1 to 2 p.m. this afternoon for rock blasting.
For weather, Kamloops will hover between -13 Celsius and -14 C today with periods of light snow ending around 2 p.m. Vernon and Kelowna will sit at -12 C until 8 p.m. and the drop to -14 C by midnight, with periods of light snow this morning and a chance of flurries for the rest of the day. Penticton will cool from -7 C to -11 C throughout the day, and there will be periods of light snow and a chance of flurries.
A winter storm warning was in effect for the Coquihalla between Hope and Kelowna earlier today, but it has since ended.
“An arctic front is bringing snow and strong outflow winds to the highway,” according to Environment Canada.
At the ski hills, Big White Mountain Resort is reporting 8 cm of new snow; Sun Peaks Ski Resort got 1 cm; SilverStar Mountain Resort is reporting 2 cm of fresh snow; Apex Mountain Resort got 4 cm.
—Story updated at 11:11 a.m. after the snowfall warning on the Coquihalla came to an end.
—Story updated at 2 p.m. with information about the closure of the Coquihalla south of Merritt.
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