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January 09, 2013 - 12:46 PM
VANCOUVER - The threat of avalanches has forced the closure of five highways around British Columbia, cutting off travel to and from parts of the Interior and the Cariboo region.
Highway 1 is closed four kilometres east of Yale and at Jackass Mountain Summit, and no detours are available.
The B.C. government says the Coquihalla Highway has also been shut both ways, as is Highway 3 from Hope to Merritt and Highway 40 west of Lillooet.
Highway 31, north of Trout Lake in the Cariboo, is also closed due to avalanche hazards.
Travellers are also being advised to be cautious on Highway 16, where black ice is making driving conditions treacherous.
Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings across southern B.C., saying some areas are expected to accumulate more than 20 centimetres.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013