Wintery blast set to hit Coquihalla and Okanagan Connector

A travel advisory has been issued for both the Coquihalla Highway and the Okanagan Connector as a storm system is expected to move through southern B.C. overnight and into tomorrow.

Environment Canada is calling for heavy wet snow on Highway 5 from Merritt to Hope and Highway 97C from West Kelowna to Merritt starting tonight, Feb. 21, and continuing through to tomorrow morning.

Drivers can expect limited visibility and heavy slush, and are warned to adjust to the road conditions and expect delays.

Traffic volumes are likely to be heavy while crews work to deal with the snow, the travel advisory said.

In the valley bottoms in Kamloops and the Okanagan, the forecast is calling for gust winds with the mercury expected to drop to well below 0 Celsius and stay cold until the weekend.

As far as precipitation goes, the weather office is calling for flurries or rain showers today in Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton before it turns to snow overnight. The snow is forecast to last until Thursday when the sun will come out but it will remain cold.

For the latest on the highway conditions go to DriveBC here.

For the latest on the travel advisory and other warning, check out Environment Canada’s public weather alert page here.

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