Weather alerts issued as 'intense bands of snow' forecast for southern B.C.
Southern Interior could see up to 15 cm; parts of Metro Vancouver could get up to 10 cm by Tuesday morning
Snow should start coming down this evening across the province's southern Interior and, according to Environment Canada, it won't be gently falling flakes.
The federal weather agency has issued several special weather statements for the region, warning residents there is potential for "intense bands of snow" to develop Monday night that could bring up to 15 centimetres by Tuesday morning.
Affected areas include the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, the Boundary, Nicola, Shuswap and North and South Thompson regions, Slocan Lake and 100 Mile House, the northern and southern Fraser Canyon, including Lytton and Boston Bar and the eastern Fraser Valley including Hope.
The Elk Valley is expected to see the most snow, with up to 20 centimetres forecast for the area, which includes the city of Fernie.
Drivers are being warned that weather in the mountains can change suddenly, resulting in hazardous driving conditions.
Conditions are expected to be particularly precarious on the Coquihalla Highway, where crews are working to repair bridges and infrastructure damaged by landslides and flooding in November.
Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton, which is currently open for essential traffic only, Highway 97 between Clinton and 100 Mile House, and the Okanagan Connector (Highway 97C) have also been flagged by Environment Canada as potential trouble spots.
- Up-to-date road conditions are available at drivebc.ca.
Snow likely for Lower Mainland, too
A cold, unstable air mass over the coast could also bring some wintry conditions to the Lower Mainland.
Showery weather with snow levels hovering around 300 metres is forecast for Monday night and, as a result, residents in some parts of Metro Vancouver could see between two and 10 centimetres of snow by Tuesday morning.
According to CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe, temperatures in the metro region Monday will only get to about 3 C and a "pulse of moisture" moving in around 4 p.m. could quickly change to snow tonight.
Tuesday is expected to be a mix of sun and showers for Metro Vancouver, with forecasters keeping an eye on a Pacific storm potentially heading for the South Coast on Friday.
A big ol-low is sitting and spinning off our coast, dragging down cooler air and lost of moisture. Cold rain and even some wet snow will continue this morning for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vancouver?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vancouver</a>, although we should get a break around mid-morning...
—@JWagstaffe