Avalanche control will take place along Highway 1 Wednesday, Jan. 7.
Image Credit: tranbc.ca
January 07, 2015 - 7:41 AM
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A storm system that left behind upwards of 40 centimetres of snow in our region and closed some schools for two days has also shut down Highway 1 in several spots.
Avalanche control took place between Craigellachie and Revelstoke Monday because of the high risk and that section of highway was again shut down because of the high risk again Tuesday. Control should be taking place starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday and once all the debris is cleared, is expected to reopen by 2 p.m.
Crews were also set to tackle some problem areas in Glacier National Park Tuesday, Jan. 6, but the storm prevented them from completing the job. Control will be taking place between 10 a.m. and noon and should reopen by 2 p.m. once snow has been cleared and the avalanche technician gives the all-clear.
About 70 cm of storm snow has fallen in Glacier National Park since Jan. 1, according to Avalanche Canada, which has led to closure of large areas of the park as crews prepare to use explosives for avalanche control. Strong winds and freezing rain kept avalanche control from completing the jobs Tuesday and they plan to attempt both sections again today.
Because of the prolonged closure west of Revelstoke, Drive B.C. has also issued a traffic advisory warning about heavy traffic congestion east of the town.
Other area highways are reporting limited visibility with fog, compact snow, slippery sections and even falling ice on Highway 5 at the south end of the Portia Bridge near Hope.
Temperatures will be just above seasonal normals of -1 Celsius throughout the region for the next few days. There is a chance of snow or rain over the weekend. Avalanche risk remains at a considerable to high rating throughout the region.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015