A significant highway snow threat continues in B.C. this week, with the potential of some highway passes seeing more than 30 cm of snow by Thursday night.
We are in the midst of the third low-pressure system this week as an active storm track continues to batter the province.
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Freezing levels are forecast to drop in many regions along the major highway passes and parts of the Interior region, including the Kootenays and the Rocky Mountains.
This week:
On Wednesday, many highway passes saw an initial round of rain and snow, and there is quite a lot still to come.
Wednesday overnight will temperatures continue to drop, allowing places like the Coquihalla Highway, from Hope to Merritt, transition over from rain to snow.
Freezing levels are expected to be 1,300 metres by Thursday afternoon, so highways like the Malahat and Sea to Sky will only be expecting rain, including the North Shore Mountains and Whistler.
Meanwhile Highway 3, from Paulson Summit to Kootenay Pass, saw around 10-15 cm on Wednesday, with a potential of an additional 15-30 cm by Thursday night.
Tricky travel conditions will persist into the overnight as rain changes over to snow across southeastern B.C., while parts of southwestern sections, including the Interior, will continue to rack up a few more centimetres of the white stuff.
Long range:
We will finally see a break from the strong winds, heavy rain, and snowfall as we head into Friday and Saturday.
Enjoy the dry conditions, however, before the next system moves in just in time to end the weekend.
We are expecting the next system to arrive by late weekend, with freezing levels dropping around 800 metres, which is great news for ski resorts to deepen their snowpack prior to the anticipated grand opening of Whistler Blackcomb on Nov. 22.
We are seeing freezing levels this low and early in the season, more typical of what we would normally expect in December and the winter months. That is setting the ski season up much better than last year.
Stay tuned to The Weather Network for the latest forecast updates for B.C.