It’s still technically summer, but travellers in the BC Interior were reminded Wednesday night of how quickly winter can arrive in Canada.
For the second straight evening, both the Coquihalla Highway (Hwy 5) and the Okanagan Connector (Hwy 97C) were hit with snow as the sun set and temperatures dipped.
Around 8 pm, the DriveBC Twitter account shared a photo from the Mine Creek webcam that showed snow falling on Hwy 5.
#BCHwy5 - ❄Scenes from the Mine Creek camera on the #Coquihalla.
— DriveBC (@DriveBC) September 16, 2021
Watch for changing road conditions between #HopeBC and #MerrittBC. Slow down and drive to conditions!
Camera links here: https://t.co/4E8Nec7Vp3 pic.twitter.com/MT3Oa78msC
It was just a dusting for the Coquihalla, but the Connector was hit much harder by the inclement weather.
After a brief dusting of snow in the afternoon, it cleared up for a short time before the snow started falling once again around 6 pm.
By 7 pm, Hwy 97C was covered with snow and the webcams painted a scene straight out of December.
It settled in overnight and even though snow on the road had cleared from traffic, the sides of the highway were still white as the sun rose today.
The highways will likely continue to see some snow over the weekend due to cooler overnight temperatures that bring the snow level down.
As it starts to warm up next week, the highway should stay clear, but the September snow is a gentle reminder that winter highway driving conditions are right around the corner.
You will need winter tires on your vehicle to legally drive Hwy 5 and Hwy 97C starting Oct. 1.
