Snowfall warning issued for Coquihalla Highway

Mar 26, 2018 | 10:59 AM

KAMLOOPS — Old Man Winter isn’t quite done with the Coquihalla Highway yet.

Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the highway’s Hope to Merritt section.

“We’ve got a Pacific frontal system. It’s moving across the province over the next 24 to 36 hours and with freezing levels sitting fairly low still. We’re still in this cold air mass,” says Meteorologist Lisa West. “We’ve already seen around eight centimetres fall overnight and today we’re expecting another 10. A further five to 10 tonight and then another five before tomorrow. So, the snow is going to be continually falling for the next 36 hours.”

She’s expecting far less snow on the Merritt to Kamloops section though.

“The further inland you go, the amounts are not as much, but there’s still going to be some snow on the road. For today two to four centimetres. Up to five changing to just a risk of flurries tonight.”

West says heavy snow this time of the year on the Coquihalla is fairly unusual.

“Well we are coming to the end of March. One would hope we’d be warming up a bit but we just can’t get out of this sort of stubborn cold air mass. Not a ton of change here for the next week so flurries could be flying over the highway for the next week.”