Winter weather brings treacherous driving, avalanche conditions to southern BC

Wintry weather with strong winds and snow has brought treacherous driving and dangerous avalanche conditions to parts of southern British Columbia. A city worker shovels snow at Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.

Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

January 09, 2024 - 11:30 AM

Wintry weather with strong winds and snow has brought treacherous driving and dangerous avalanche conditions to parts of southern British Columbia.

Provincial traffic cameras show heavy snow blowing and accumulating along stretches of the Coquihalla Highway, where police say one person died in a crash yesterday.

A statement from Merritt RCMP says a Ford pickup truck was travelling southbound when it crossed into oncoming traffic, striking a semi-truck and trailer.

The Mounties say the driver of the pickup truck was declared dead at the scene, while a passenger was airlifted to hospital, and their statement encourages people to slow down and drive according to the conditions this winter.

Videos posted online show vehicles losing traction and sliding down roads in Kamloops, B.C., while others show whitecap waves crashing into the west coast of Vancouver Island, where thousands woke up this morning without power.

Avalanche Canada has meanwhile classified conditions as "very dangerous" for mountains throughout much of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, the Sea to Sky and Fraser Valley regions, as well as the east Kootenay area, including Fernie.

More than 18,000 people remain without power, mostly in the Lower Mainland, on the Sunshine Coast and on Vancouver Island, including parts of Victoria.

A warning from Environment Canada says very strong winds are expected to persist until this afternoon or this evening over western Vancouver Island, Victoria and the Gulf Islands, bringing gusts up to 90 or 100 kilometres an hour.

Power outages are also affecting several hundred homes in northern and central B.C., as well as the Okanagan, Kootenay, Thompson and Shuswap areas.

Snowfall warnings cover Whistler and swaths of the Interior, extending south from Dawson Creek to Prince George, Revelstoke, Nelson and Fernie.

The weather office has issued a winter storm warning for stretches of highway between Hope and Princeton as well as Merritt, where an additional 20 to 30 centimetres of snow are forecast before the storm is expected to ease Wednesday.

The BC Ferries website shows several cancelled sailings on routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, although most appear to be scheduled on time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2024.