Drivers warned about snowy B.C. highways as crash sends 6 to hospital

Drivers heading for highways in southwestB.C.are being warned to slow down and expect wintry conditions on Wednesday evening.

A crash on Highway 1 west of Revelstokesent six peopleto hospital just after 1 p.m. The B.C. Ambulance Service said two of them arein critical condition.

The highway was closed for several hours in both directions from Sicamous to Revelstokebefore re-opening just after4:15p.m.

Drive BC said traffic would be moving slowly through the stretch due to congestion.

Mike Czaja and Stefan Rzadzinskiwere stuck on the highway for an hour and a half nearly a year to the day after they were stranded in a bad weather spellon the CoquihallaHighway.

Highway 1 is "insanely bad," Czajasaid Wednesday. "It's right at the point where people are starting to get overly confident."

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The Coquihallahas also been dealing withslow trafficbecause of theweather. Drivers have been told to expect heavydelays between Hope and Merritt.

Numerous collisions in the Okanagan

Meanwhile, KelownaRCMP were pleading with drivers to slow down and increase the distance between their vehicles and others on the road.

"Our crews haveresponded to crash after crash alongHighway 33 east of Kelowna," RCMP Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey said in a news release. "Officers responding to these crashes describe the conditions in the area as extremely icy, which has seriously affected drivers' ability to stop and steer."

The crashes forced the temporary closure of Highway 33 while first responders cleared the scene. Mounties in Lake Country are also reporting several collisions.

Winter weather on its way

A special weather statement is in effect for thesouthwest part of the province. Whistler, Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley are all under winter storm warnings.

Environment Canada said highways, roads, walkways and parking lots in those regions could freeze over whileicebuild-up could cause tree branches to snap and fall.

The agency forecast10 to15 centimetres of snow athigher elevationsand fivecentimetres for Metro Vancouver.

Up to20 centimetres of snow could fall in the Fraser Valley before expected bouts of freezing rain begin.