Difficult conditions on B.C. Interior highways prompt warnings for motorists
Drivers in British Columbia’s Interior region are being reminded to exercise caution on the road Wednesday, with heavy snow in the forecast. Snowfall warnings are in effect for several regions including the Cariboo, Thompson-Okanagan and Kootenays, as well as the Coquihalla Highway, where up to 25 centimetres of snow is expected by this evening, making visibility a challenge for motorists. Environment Canada has issued a highway alert for the Coquihalla from Hope to Merritt, reminding drivers to use winter tires and chains and to prepare for changing conditions throughout the day.
Drivers are asked to be patient, with one highway clearing company posting on the social media platform X that an accident was caused Tuesday when a truck attempted to pass a snowplow on the Coquihalla. “This is a serious no-no,” wrote Argo Roads. Earlier today, on the #Coquihalla, a truck tried to pass our plow on the right.
This is a serious no, no.Many of our trucks are equipped with a wing plow on the right side. This “wing” extends roughly half the length of a GMC pickup with a full cab bed. (1/5) pic.twitter.com/sezwtd9slE
Meanwhile, police are continuing to investigate after four people died in a crash along Highway 97[2] on Tuesday morning near Monte Lake, about 70 kilometres northwest of Vernon, B.C. While there has been relatively little snowfall further north Wednesday, a heavy dump of snow on Tuesday is still being cleared in Prince George, where there was a collision between a logging truck and a snow plow on Highway 97.
“Road conditions on the highway are slick and police are asking drivers to slow down when they approach the incident location to help prevent further collisions,” Prince George RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said in a media release. The City of Kamloops says crews have been working all night clearing major arterial roads prior to focusing on residential and side streets, and continued snowfall is keeping crews busy.
The snow is coming down fast and furious out there, with no signs of slowing down! Our crews are out there, but we can’t be everywhere at once. We tend to arterial roads first, and will continue to do so as long as the snow is still falling. https://t.co/K2pv4HfjFt. #kamloops pic.twitter.com/1PnLKtdsNg
“We’re fighting it hard but definitely not making the kind of headway in getting down to bare asphalt,” said Glen Farrow, the city’s manager of streets and environmental services, speaking on CBC’s Daybreak Kamloops.
“Within storm mode, the focus is definitely to continue to focus on those main [roads].”
Snow blankets the streets of Kamloops, B.C., early Wednesday. (Doug Herbert/CBC )
For up-to-date road conditions across the province, visit DriveBC on the service’s website or X account.[4][5] On Wednesday morning, the service said its website was experiencing high traffic volumes and could be slower to load, particularly as people accessed the site’s highway cameras.
Interior airport conditions
The Nelson Airport says WestJet and Air Canada have cancelled all morning and afternoon flights Wednesday due to inclement weather. Travellers expecting to fly out of Nelson are asked to contact their airline, and not the airport’s administration office, for more information.
? (2/2) Visit our Travel Advisories Page for up-to-date information on your flight: https://t.co/j6KEZiF5GJ pic.twitter.com/pUAoTUO0uK
The Kamloops and Kelowna airports are also showing some delayed and cancelled flights, although it is not clear if that is due to conditions in those cities, or because of delays at the Vancouver International Airport.
There has been minimal disruption Wednesday morning at the airport in Prince George, with the only posted cancellations being flights from Vancouver.
WestJet has cancelled two flights leaving the tarmac in Terrace — to Calgary and Vancouver — so far.
References
- ^ @Argo_Thompson (twitter.com)
- ^ four people died in a crash along Highway 97 (www.cbc.ca)
- ^ @cityofkamloops (twitter.com)
- ^ service’s website (drivebc.ca)
- ^ X account. (twitter.com)
- ^ @WestJet (twitter.com)