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January 30, 2025 - 6:00 PM
After a balmy winter so far Kamloops and the Okanagan are expecting some snow and cold this weekend.
The snow is set to start tonight, Jan. 30, and continue intermittently throughout the weekend, according to Environment Canada. A low pressure system is making its way toward the coast, bringing steady precipitation. Frigid temperatures are expected this weekend as cold Arctic air moves in and mixes with the Pacific moisture.
Daily lows around 0 Celsius are anticipated tonight and Friday night for Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon and Penticton. The anticipated 5 centimetres of snowfall overnight is expected to be wet and heavy. North Okanagan could get some more snow on Friday around five to 10 cm, while Kamloops and the rest of the Okanagan are expecting up to 5 cm.
Temperatures should drop over the course of the weekend to around -10 C for the Okanagan and a bit colder around -13 C for Kamloops.
Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Erven said intermittent bursts of snow and gusty winds are riding the coattails of a low pressure system this weekend, and temperature lows are expected to hover around -15 C into next week.
“There will be multiple bursts of precipitation... continuing through Saturday, and then we could even see a brief burst of flurries on Sunday as our front moves through following in behind this low pressure system,” Erven said.
Travellers planning on driving through the mountain passes this weekend should be ready for some snow and windy conditions.
The Coquihalla Highway from Merritt to Kamloops is expecting a few centimetres tonight, another two to four centimetres Friday, and more scattered flurries over the weekend.
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On the Coquihalla from Hope to Merritt, drivers can expect up to 10 cm tonight and another 10 cm on Friday.
“For the Coquihalla, the area that's likely to receive the most snow is that section between Hope and Merritt. This is pretty common that the Coquihalla summit between those two communities does typically see higher snowfall amounts. In the forecast that we have so far covering the tonight and Friday period, we could see 10 to 20 cm falling overall,” Erven said.
The Okanagan Connector is supposed to get around 5 cm of snow tonight, and another 4 cm on Friday.
The Trans-Canada Highway from Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass could get up to 10 cm of snow tonight and another 5 cm on Friday.
Snowfall warnings were also issued for the Kootenay Pass, where up to 30 cm is expected starting Thursday and tapering off Saturday morning, and the Yellowhead region, where 10 to 15 cm is expected by Thursday night.
Mountain sport enthusiasts should wax their skis and snowboards because the ski hills around Kamloops and the Okanagan are expecting some fresh powder this weekend.
“The bulk of precipitation comes on Friday night, but it will get started as early as tonight,” she said. “Then there's still to be some bursts of flurries throughout the remainder of the weekend. It's a good scenario for our Interior ski resorts.”
A rainfall warning has also been issued for the northern sections of Metro Vancouver and the western Fraser Valley, with about 50 millimetres expected by Friday night.
The weather office has issued a snowfall warning for the Sea to Sky Highway between Squamish and Whistler, saying amounts up to 20 cm are expected.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
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