After a weekend that brought widespread power outages and a deadly landslide, weather warnings are once again spanning British Columbia as more heavy rain and snow hits parts of the province.
Heavy snowfall is forecast for inland areas of the North Coast, including Kitimat, with 15 to 25 cm expected by Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, the central Fraser Valley, including Chilliwack, could receive 50-80 millimetres of rain before easing Wednesday morning, with the highest amounts expected near the North Shore mountains, according to Environment Canada and Climate Change.
The Coquihalla Highway was closed Wednesday morning in both directions between Exit 183: Othello Rd. and Exit 290: Merritt due to a vehicle incident, DriveBC said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Travel advisories were in place Wednesday morning for most mountain passes in and out of the Southern Interior. Alternative routes on Highway 1 and Highway 3 were accessible during the closure.
Motorists are advised to monitor local agencies, such as DriveBC, for updates on road closures and delays.
Why Coquihalla Highway highway is particularly dangerous in the winter
Traversing along any of the mountain passes in B.C. can be hazardous at times during the winter, especially during and after hefty amounts of snowfall.
But one stretch of roadway, the Coquihalla Highway — also known as Highway 5—can be quite dangerous to motorists during the cold months.
The reason for the heightened peril with this highway? The route can take you up into the atmosphere as the altitude continues to climb.
“By the time you reach the Coquihalla pass, you’re over a kilometre above sea level, so all of that rain can change over into heavy snow. So this is where the problem is,” says Erin Wenckstern, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
Watch the video below to get a full explanation for the dangers that await travellers on the Coquihalla Highway in the winter.
Thumbnail courtesy of Lee Wood, submitted to The Weather Network. Stock photo of the Coquihalla used for illustration purposes only.