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December 20, 2017 - 9:30 AM
From highway closures to flight cancellations, December's first major snowfall of the season had serious impacts throughout the Southern Interior.
Both Vernon and Kamloops received between 10 to 20 centimetres of snow yesterday, Dec. 19, while the Kelowna area received between five and 15, and the Penticton Airport received approximately 15 centimetres.
According to Environment Canada, highway passes in the area received the most snowfall, including the Coquihalla Highway with 25 centimetres of snowfall.
The highway between Merritt and Hope was also closed sporadically yesterday, due to several vehicle incidents. At one point, Highway 1 west of Kamloops was closed due to a crash as well.
A travel advisory put out for Highway 5 and the Okanagan Connector yesterday has since ended, although highway cameras show plenty of snow is still on the roads.
The Larson Hill and Helmer Lake areas on the Coquihalla south of Kamloops received approximately 41 centimetres of snow yesterday, while the Pennask Summit on the connector got roughly 42 centimetres.
Environment Canada's forecast for the next few days show temperatures likely won't rise above zero in the Thompson-Okanagan, which means the snow on the ground won't be going anywhere.
The Okanagan could see a chance of flurries today, while Kamloops is expecting sun and plenty of wind with a high of -1 C.
Although there were several airport delays and cancellations yesterday, flights into and out of Kamloops today are so far all on time. There are a few minor delays at Kelowna International Airport this morning for both arrivals and departures.
There currently appear to be no delays at Penticton Regional Airport, but be sure to check with your airline before your flight.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2017